The Most Controversial and Funniest MPs in Malaysia’s Parliament

As a journalist, I’ve always been fascinated by the inner workings of Malaysia’s Parliament. Who are the most outspoken MPs? Who are the ones who always seem to stir up controversy? And who are the ones who always manage to make us laugh?

Recently, I came across an interesting study by MyMP, a Parliament watchdog, that sought to answer these very questions. Using Python programming language, the team at MyMP scraped through years of Parliament Hansard data to identify the most controversial and funniest MPs in Malaysia’s Parliament.

The results were surprising, to say the least. Jelutong MP RSN Rayer and Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim were crowned the “most controversial MPs” based on their frequent appearances in instances of “parlimen riuh” (ruckus in Parliament) and “parlimen ketawa” (laughter in Parliament).

MPs in action

According to the study, Rayer won a landslide victory in the July 2018 - October 2022 14th Dewan Rakyat sessions, appearing in over 531 riuh instances. Shahidan came in second at 391 riuh instances. But in the recent December 2022 - June 2023 15th Dewan Rakyat sessions, Shahidan took the top spot, while Rayer dropped to third place.

Interestingly, Shahidan also claimed the title of “funniest MP” in both sessions. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of humor he brings to the Parliament floor.

Shahidan Kassim, the funniest MP

Despite their reputation for stirring up controversy, both Rayer and Shahidan are effective and performing MPs, according to MyMP’s data on their attendance and questions asked.

The study also highlighted the possibility that Opposition lawmakers tend to be “louder” than government backbenchers, which could contribute to their higher frequency of appearances in riuh instances.

In a separate development, MyMP announced a key partnership with local thinktank IDEAS to develop their PANTAU KUASA project. The project aims to compare a list of GLC directors with a list of Malaysian politicians to identify suspected political appointments.

IDEAS Malaysia

As I delved deeper into the study, I couldn’t help but think about the importance of effective governance and transparency in our political system. It’s heartening to see organizations like MyMP and IDEAS working towards making our political landscape more accountable and engaging.

In conclusion, the study by MyMP has given us a glimpse into the personalities and antics of our MPs. While controversy and humor may not always be the most desirable traits in our lawmakers, they do add a touch of humanity to the often-dry world of politics.