Ramkarpal said the statement by government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil gave the impression that the government had a hand in the running of Parliament.

He said it was fundamental that Parliament is independent, and had ample powers in its Standing Orders to deal with members issuing false statements.

The speaker could act upon a motion to reprimand an errant member, instead of being “contacted” by the Cabinet, he said.

Ramkarpal, a former deputy law and institutional reform minister, said in a statement that “Fahmi’s statement is much regretted and ought to be clarified to avoid the perception of government interference in the affairs of Parliament”.

Yesterday, Fahmi, who is communications minister, said the Cabinet would contact the Dewan Rakyat speaker’s office to ensure MPs do not make false statements again as there was a tendency by elected representatives to issue a statement first and apologise later.

Ramkarpal said his criticisms of the Cabinet’s plan to contact the speaker’s office had nothing to do with fake news.

“It is about the independence of Parliament as an institution which has been a topic of much debate with the government committing to improve the running of its affairs by, among others, tabling the Parliamentary Services Bill,” he said.