Speaker should quit, says Karpal - Malaysiakini

Veteran parliamentarian Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) today called for the resignation of Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia.

This followed the speaker's inaction in issuing arrest warrants under the Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Act 1952 on those who were involved in preventing Karpal from going into Parliament on Feb 26.

After the incident, Karpal had on several occasions asked the House to pass a resolution under the act to issue warrants of arrest against three Umno Youth members.

However, the speaker had turned down his request, insisting that it would be best to set up a special committee to investigate the matter under Section 80(A) of the Standing Orders.

“If the speaker does not act in calling the three people to the House for punishment, it is my view that he is a very weak speaker and ought to step down,” Karpal told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

“By his inaction, the speaker has in fact set a very dangerous precedent. I understand that the speaker together with the others on the committee had viewed the clip of the mob attack yesterday.

“Those three individuals (in the video) should be brought before the House, there is not necessity for this committee under section 80A to go about setting up an inquiry,” he said.

Karpal, who was the victim during the affray, was served a notice today to attend a meeting by the committee at 1pm next Tuesday as a witness.

Other MPs who came to Karpal's aid when he was mobbed on Feb 26 were also served notices to attend the meeting. They are Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut), Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) and Fong Kui Lun (DAP-Bukit Bintang) as well as N Gobalakrisnan (PKR-Padang Serai).

Karpal's 34-year-old personal assistant Michael Cornalius, was also called to attend the meeting.

However, Karpal asserted that DAP MPs will not cooperate by attending the meeting as they supported his call for the House to act as the court of law and issue the arrest warrants.

Asked if there would be consequence if they boycott the meeting, Karpal said: “Actually it is neither a select committee nor a privileges committee but just a committee (therefore it has no power to call witnesses)”.

“It is wrong to say it is a select committee,” said Karpal adding that it is a “dangerous precedence if I appear before this committee because the perpetrators identified themselves so defiantly”.

He added that “the speaker has got it all wrong” and “it is not too late for him to uphold the dignity of the House”.

“If each time they are going to set a committee for the purpose of inquiring if there was a disturbance in Parliament, it clearly shows that we have a very weak Parliament and a Parliament that is not prepared to take on any challenge,” said Karpal.

“As a MP, I expect the speaker to protect, not only his own dignity by acting without fear or favour, but also my dignity,” he asserted.

The first meeting took place yesterday in the Speaker’s chambers. It was attended by deputy speaker Ronald Kiandeee, as well as MPs Tiong King Sing (BN-Bintulu), Fong Chan Ong (BN-Alor Gajah), Hajah Nancy Shukri (BN-Batang Sadong), R Sivarasa (PKR-Subang) and Kamaruddin Jaffar (PAS-Tumpat). Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor) had opted out of the meeting.

Do reporters need bodyguards?

Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung said there was no need for members of the press to have bodyguards as Malaysia is “safe enough” even though there were several cases involving physical attacks against them over the past two years.

He said this in response to Bung Mokhtar Radin's (BN-Kinabatangan) supplementary question on whether journalists needed bodyguards because “getting a story was very important to the public”.

Chor said the police are able to safeguard a particular place and prevent any attacks from happening and the journalists have to listen to advice from the police.

“If they are not allowed in, don’t be too excited to go in to get a scoop,” he said.

Earlier, he told the House that six cases of physical attacks against journalists were reported last year compared with four in 2007, in response to a question from Charles Santiago (DAP-Klang).

One was reported last year in Perlis and two in Kedah, both reported in 2008 and 2007 respectively.

In Kuala Lumpur, two cases were reported in 2008, two in Penang last year and in 2007. There were two other cases involving a Kosmo reporter in Negri Sembilan and the other involving a Malaysia Nanban reporter in Johor in 2007 - both cases are still under investigation.

Decide on Penang's second bridge project

Liew Chin Tong (DAP-Bukit Bendera) asked the federal government not to condone UEM Builders Bhd's escalated offers, if there was one, in the construction of Penang's second bridge.

Liew said the prices today are far more lower than they were in July last year. Therefore the federal government should reduce the cost which according to Liew stands at RM4.3 billion.

“Last November, the media had reported that Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd (JKSB) managing director Zaini Omar would complete negotiations with UEM on the cost of building the bridge in one week,” said Liew.

JKSB is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up by the government to supervise and fast-track the second Penang bridge project.

“But that one week deadline ended a long time ago and yet the negotiations had not been resolved,” he said.

At a press conference in Parliament today, Liew appealed to outgoing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to get involved in the decision to build what will be the longest bridge in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

Liew added that Pak Lah would be remembered and honoured if he resolves the glitches before the end of his tenure this month.

According to a report by consultancy firm Zaidun-Leeng Bhd, UEM should be given RM2.1 billion instead, he said.