KUALA LUMPUR: Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) and Chong Chien Jen (DAP-Bandar Kuching) were suspended Thursday from the Dewan Rakyat by Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia for the rest of the day.
Pandikar Amin decided to send Fong out after she refused to accept his reply and continued to argue for a chance to debate.
Pandikar had told Datuk Seri Nazri Abd Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, to wind up for the committee stage after Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir Salak) spoke.
At this juncture, Fong stood up, citing the point of order that she did not get to speak and she had been standing up since Wednesday.
“Is it because you did not notice me?” Fong told Pandikar Amin, adding, “I am being denied a chance to raise issues related to my constituency.”
Pandikar’s reply was short: “I did not notice you.”
Fong refused to accept the answer and continue to bargain with the Speaker and he resorted to exercising his power to send Fong out.
Chong, who stood up to support Fong, was also ordered out.
At the Parliament lobby, reporters had a glimpse of Fong sobbing before she cooled down, then came out to meet the press.
“It is very painful (to see) Parliament run in such a way,”she said.
“Why was I not given the opportunity to speak and why was I not seen by the Speaker? I find it difficult to accept when he said ‘I did not see’ because I had been trying to get his attention for an opportunity to speak since yesterday,” she said.
She said she stood up to find out from the Speaker why she was not called out and wanted to know the yardstick for MPs to be called out.
Fong said she had wanted to bring up issues her constituency had wanted her to bring up -- on the indelible ink issue and for the Election Commission to be empowered to take action against abuse and corruption.
Fong, a three-term MP, was suspended for six months in 2001 over her request to debate the controversy over the Certificate of Law Practice examinations.
Chong said the Speaker’s decision was uncalled for.
“No warning was given to either of us. By convention, there should have been three warnings,” said Chong.
He said he too had stood up on Wednesday and Thursday and was not given a chance to speak, but added that it was the Speaker’s prerogrative.
He said he did not see any need for the Speaker to send Fong out. After she stated her objection, she had sat down.
“I did not think it was wrong to make a query or state our objection when the Speaker’s decision is unfair,” he said.
LEE YUK PENG and LOH FOON FONG
Star Online
06/11/08
PEOPLE'S POWER
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