I slept like a log for 12 hours straight
I slept like a log for 12 hours straight. After my budget speech in Parliament yesterday, I had wanted to have a few hours’ sleep before preparing for the continuation of my speech today. But “man proposes, God disposes” and I did not get up until this morning 12 solid hours later.
The previous night, I did not have a wink in preparing for the budget debate. I had also been going without adequate sleep in the past week. So finally, the body must have decided to take things in hand to demand a good and proper rest.
Apart from general election days, when protracted vote counting and waiting for national election results would have kept me like other candidates awake through the night, the last occasion I went without sleep in preparation for the next morning’s function would be some 37 years ago in 1968 when I led the DAP in the six-hour “Great Cultural Debate” against the Gerakan team, headed by its Central Executive Committee Member Dr. Syed Naguib Alatas at the MARA Auditorium in Kuala Lumpur. But this is another story for a different occasion.
I had never gone without a wink in previous parliamentary debates whether on the budget or other major issues. Blogging is the reason, for it really eats into one’s time.
I have now to rush off to a dinner engagement so I cannot blog as yet on the numerous developments that happened in Parliament in the past two days.
The regal appearance of Rafidah Aziz in Parliament to answer AP questions is quite a “wash-out”. Tomorrow she will undergo a knee operation and will be away for a month, one week hospitalization and three weeks for recuperation.
As I said in Parliament this evening during my interruption of the speech by Bung Moktar Radin (BN – Kinabatangan), I wish Rafidah a good operation and speedy recovery in her month’s medical leave. I pointed out however that one month is a very long time at this critical juncture for MITI, with so many problems awaiting satisfactory handling. I proposed that the Prime Minister should appoint a strong Acting Minister for International Trade and Industry who could come to Parliament regularly to personally respond to MPs’ concerns about the multitude of problems faced by MITI – including calling up files and resolving outstanding issues.
Just before my interruption, the MP for Gua Musang Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah entered the Chamber and followed the debate. I pointed at him and said that the Prime Minister could also appoint Razaleigh as Acting Minister for International Trade and Industry. Razaleigh was in fact the Minister of International Trade and Industry until she was replaced by Rafidah – after Razaleigh lost out in that fateful 43-vote defeat to Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in the contest for the UMNO President’s post in 1987.
The previous night, I did not have a wink in preparing for the budget debate. I had also been going without adequate sleep in the past week. So finally, the body must have decided to take things in hand to demand a good and proper rest.
Apart from general election days, when protracted vote counting and waiting for national election results would have kept me like other candidates awake through the night, the last occasion I went without sleep in preparation for the next morning’s function would be some 37 years ago in 1968 when I led the DAP in the six-hour “Great Cultural Debate” against the Gerakan team, headed by its Central Executive Committee Member Dr. Syed Naguib Alatas at the MARA Auditorium in Kuala Lumpur. But this is another story for a different occasion.
I had never gone without a wink in previous parliamentary debates whether on the budget or other major issues. Blogging is the reason, for it really eats into one’s time.
I have now to rush off to a dinner engagement so I cannot blog as yet on the numerous developments that happened in Parliament in the past two days.
The regal appearance of Rafidah Aziz in Parliament to answer AP questions is quite a “wash-out”. Tomorrow she will undergo a knee operation and will be away for a month, one week hospitalization and three weeks for recuperation.
As I said in Parliament this evening during my interruption of the speech by Bung Moktar Radin (BN – Kinabatangan), I wish Rafidah a good operation and speedy recovery in her month’s medical leave. I pointed out however that one month is a very long time at this critical juncture for MITI, with so many problems awaiting satisfactory handling. I proposed that the Prime Minister should appoint a strong Acting Minister for International Trade and Industry who could come to Parliament regularly to personally respond to MPs’ concerns about the multitude of problems faced by MITI – including calling up files and resolving outstanding issues.
Just before my interruption, the MP for Gua Musang Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah entered the Chamber and followed the debate. I pointed at him and said that the Prime Minister could also appoint Razaleigh as Acting Minister for International Trade and Industry. Razaleigh was in fact the Minister of International Trade and Industry until she was replaced by Rafidah – after Razaleigh lost out in that fateful 43-vote defeat to Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in the contest for the UMNO President’s post in 1987.
<< Home