Thread by @kyeeee

#LegCo FAQ

Since there seems to be some misconception about #LegCo thought I'd do a bit of responding to the FAQs. (1/ )

Do LegCo members only have meetings w Ministries once a year?

No. We meet them all year round. Some gets publicised (muzakarah sessions) when all or most of the members are present. Some are done behind closed doors, where we individually request with specific departments. (2/

It's during these closed-door meetings that we directly discuss issues that have been shared with us, that aren't suitable for the budget meeting. Usually smaller, personal issue cases or internal matters that can be resolved/answered. That's why not everything is at MMN (3/

Do your questions get filtered?

There are 2 types of qs:
1) soalan diberi notis
2) soalan jawatankuasa

The 1st is the one where we stand up each day and read the questions. Those are sent in advance. We are limited to sending only 3 qs, and at most mine only gets rephrased (4/

The purpose of this is to enable ministers to prepare their responses esp when it involves statistics.

The 2nd type where we ask while sitting down are spontaneous. We prepare early based on discussions with public but we dont have to submit them for approval. (5/

We normally just ask on the spot and have to amend on the day based on Ministers' speeches (if its already addressed) or if other YBs have asked something similar. That's why some qs the Ministers request to respond next session/day since they have no idea what we will ask (6/

I had a few people sending me quite valid questions during the meeting which I had asked - So no, nothing is filtered but we do respect the nation's Constitution. (7/

Why weren't my questions asked then?

I only ask/speak on topics that are related to policy & national budget. Sometimes the questions submitted are personal in nature or not suitable/relevant. We also cannot do much when complaints are anonymous/not in writing/no evidence. (8/

But it all sounds so scripted?

To be fair we do sound robotic. 🤖 I guess in my case I don't speak standard Malay that often (cakap Brunei saja), but we do have to phrase our words carefully so early prep is necessary. That's why "membaca". (9/

If you noticed, some questions were answered, some not, some had to be postponed. But we do chase after the respective ministries post-MMN for follow up. Some took one or two years to happen but they do if the suggestions are relevant (10/

So how can public submit their questions/issues?

Depends on what the issue is. If it's kampong infrastructure-related, I suggest meeting/writing to one of the district representatives.
The rest - you can submit to us in writing, or via bit.do/YouthVoice. (11/

Why in writing with name - as with anything, we need evidence so we know how to pursue. Otherwise it can turn into unnecessary fitnah or worse believing fake news 😅 (12/

We also have dialogues with the public. We used to have open Saturday outreach sessions at Cultivate Bistro (stopped for awhile as our Saturdays become packed), or we would meet with student groups, professionals, NGOs, OKUs, general public for private dialogue sessions (13/

We didn't see/hear about certain issue being covered/MMN never talks about REAL issues

We are open to receiving constructive feedback on valid issues & suggestions that we have missed out, but we do recommend reading the hansard (available on bit.do/MMNBN) (14/

Newspapers will not cover every single issue presented, so you can read full transcript online.

I/we do read all the suggestions on social media & Reddit, and a lot of them have been raised, but I understand public frustration as the issue still persists (15/

Me too bossku

I think one area we can definitely improve is on socialising direct impact of MMN discussions, just haven't figured out the best way (16/

So what is the flow?

- Approving last MMN minutes
- Pembukaan with HM's Titah
- The next working day each member will present Usul Menyembahkan Junjung Kasih or in layman's term: thank you speech to HM
- Usul Diberi Notis (if it has been submitted) (17/

- Soalan diberi notis
- Presentation by Ministers
- Meeting jawatankuasa
- the spontaneous soalan
- each day will start with Soalan Diberi Notis, then jawatankuasa
- approving budget for each ministry (18/

(Just a basic explanation. There's more formalities to it)

What happens after LegCo?

Depending on how the Ministers respond, we chase after the issues. An example would be the mental health topic I raised. We had private discussions with MOH and after continuous nudging (including by the public), action is taken to form the hotline (19/

Can we still submit questions/recommendations?

Yes! Anytime, but we do recommend keeping it concise & where possible, incl evidence. We don't expect you to do research though it would help, but a written statement with facts, rather than "my friend said.." sound more legit (20/