Despite his or her title, the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is rarely heard.

Tan Sri Ariff Yusof reveals his side of the storey by dissecting the events and procedures of Parliament and providing an insider’s view of the unprecedented political developments that led to the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government in 2020 and his eventual removal in this brief recollection of his brief tenure as the Dewan Rakyat Speaker. Meanwhile, a global pandemic breaks out, prompting the government’s response to be shaky and Parliament to be suspended.

In the current state of affairs, can we expect any changes from the Parliament? Is there a political motivation to break new ground beyond race and religion? Is it possible for a single speaker to make a difference?

TABLE OF CONTENTS OF PARLIAMENT UNEXPECTED

PART 1: THE BEGINNING
Chapter 1: A Short History of Everything, Not Quite A Memoir
Chapter 2: Jumping Into The Fray
Chapter 3: An Unnecessary Show of Partisan Politics
Chapter 4: No. 3, Jalan Tunku, Bukit Tunku

PART 2: MANAGING THE DEWAN
Chapter 5: Taking Charge
Chapter 6: Speaker, You’re Our Boss!
Chapter 7: Point of Order!
Chapter 8: The Bad, The Crude, The Obscene and The Literary

PART 3: THE REFORMS
Chapter 9: Reforms and Changing Political Culture
Chapter 10: Merakyatkan Parlimen – Formulating A People’s Parliament
Chapter 11: Writing The Malaysian Erskine May
Chapter 12: Senate Issues: Money Bills and Anti-Fake News
Chapter 13: The Constitutional Amendments of Undi 18 and Malaysia Act 1963

PART 4: THE POLITICAL STORM
Chapter 14: The Gathering Dark Clouds
Chapter 15: The Sheraton Move and Its Effects on Parliament and The Speaker’s Office
Chapter 16: Parliament and The Pandemic
Chapter 17: Motion of No-confidence and The Half-Day Parliament
Chapter 18: The Truncated, Suspended Parliament
Chapter 19: Ouster!

Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780199692163
Publication Date: 2011
Binding: Paperback
Indian Reprinted

As the first private practitioner in some 70 years to be appointed Attorney General of Malaysia, Tommy Thomas describes his experience in the highest legal office in the land in this highly personal book. The former AG discusses key decisions he made, including the prosecution of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, Jho Low, Arul Kanda and Goldman Sachs for their roles in the 1mdb scandal. His book is the first insider’s account by a senior Pakatan Harapan government official on the achievements, disappointments and failures of the first non-Barisan administration in the 60-year history of independent Malaysia. His authentic voice is captured in this candid memoir and is recommended reading for anyone interested in Malaysian politics and the law