KUALA LUMPUR: Puchong member of parliament (MP) Gobind Singh Deo was ejected from parliament yesterday and suspended for two more days following a dispute with the deputy speaker.
Earlier, Deputy Speaker Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar ruled that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz did not mislead parliament when he told the House that the judges in the 1988 judicial crisis were not sacked.
Wan Junaidi also said there was no need to refer Nazri to the Rights and Privileges Committee as he did not intend to mislead the House even though he had made a factual error.
Several days after making that statement in the House, Nazri had in a press conference admitted that he had made a mistake as to the status of the judges. He said that they were indeed sacked but were paid pensions at the request of the then king.
“My decision was made based on Commonwealth precedents. I don’t want our parliament to be a mockery,” said Wan Junaidi.
Karpal Singh (Bukit Gelugor-DAP), who tabled the motion to refer Nazri to the Rights and Privileges Committee, could not accept the decision and said: “Tuan Speaker has made a mockery of the House.”
Karpal went on to insist that Nazri ought to apologise, prompting Gobind to jump into the fray. Gobind then accused Wan Junaidi of being biased for defending Nazri.
“The Speaker defends the minister,” he shouted at Wan Junaidi. The deputy speaker promptly instructed Gobind to be ejected and suspended from parliament for two days.
Pointing at Nazri, Gobind added: “He’s the one who made the mistake and I have to go out.”
At this juncture Wan Junaidi told the sergeant-at-arms to escort Gobind out of the House. Gobind told them not to touch him and refused to leave.
“Stand up and apologise like a man,” Gobind shouted at Nazri again. At this, the House descended into chaos, with MPs from both sides joining in the shouting. Gobind made his exit after Wan Junaidi told him that he has been suspended for two days.
When met in the parliament lobby later, Gobind said he wanted to know if Wan Junaidi had obtained enough information before making his ruling.
“If the minister did not apologise or explain inside the House, how can the (deputy) speaker know what his defence is?
“I also want to know why he (Nazri) is prepared to apologise outside, but he can’t apologise inside the House,” said Gobind.
“As usual, when the opposition asks questions, we get thrown out. It does not matter to me as this is politics in Malaysia, but I am disappointed with the ruling of the (deputy) speaker,” he said. “What is more important is the principle; we stand up for our principle. If we have to get suspended for it, then so be it.”
Salahuddin Ayub (Kubang Kerian-PAS) insisted that Nazri should have apologised because he had made an error.
“Nazri should say it inside the House because the statement was made during the debates but he chose to be silent just now. He could have used the Standing Order 14 (1) to stand up and apologise for his mistake,” said Salahuddin when met in the lobby.
He told the press that the opposition intends to pursue the matter because it cannot be let off without being resolved.
“A minister made a wrong statement and he was saved by the deputy speaker’s decision,” he said, adding that parliament’s integrity must be upheld.
On Wan Junaidi’s view that Nazri had not intended to mislead when he made the statement, Salahuddin said it was a matter of interpretation.
“We will see. He could just walk out (from the House) freely with that smile and without feeling any guilt. This thing is very important,” said Salahuddin.
Sharon Tan
The Edge
26/11/08
PEOPLE'S POWER
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