Sarawak MPs must buck up as their performance in Parliament is below par compared with their counterparts in the peninsula and Sabah.

Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said most of them seldom took part in the debates on government policies.

“’They (Sarawak MPs) should be more aggressive, more vocal and involve themselves more in the debates on government policies,’’ he added when asked by reporters after recording a programme at RTM Kuching here yesterday.

Dr Wan Junaidi, the Santubong MP, urged them to also actively take part in the debates on the annual Budget and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s speech in Parliament.

’’If you represent the people, you must speak. If you don’t speak, ministers will not know you.’’

However, he said that Sarawak MPs recorded good attendance during Parliament sessions.

Sarawak has 30 Barisan Nasional MPs and one opposition MP – Chong Chieng Jen (DAP-Bandar Kuching).

Dr Wan Junaidi said Sabah MPs performed much better than their Sarawak counterparts.

Overall, he said the ratio of non-performing MPs in Parliament was ‘’very high’’ as there were some who never spoke.

Dr Wan Junaidi said a good MP must not only know his constituency well but also the issues and problems faced by the state, country and the world.

He said this would make them all-rounders.

Dr Wan Junaidi said he would publish a book on the Malaysian Parliament to mark its 50th anniversary in September.

“I have completed about 200 pages and am getting Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka to go through the draft,” he said. The Star.