BN’s Perak assembly sitting just a rubber stamp

Former Perak Mentri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin claims the assembly had no agenda, with most questions unanswered, and claims it was a total mockery of democracy.

PETALING JAYA: All 27 Perak Pakatan Rakyat state representatives staged a walkout at the one day assembly sitting yesterday as the assembly has become a mere ‘rubber stamp’.

Former Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said Speaker R Ganesan had also “disallowed debates and questions”.

“The sitting was called just to fulfill the requirement that it needs to be held every six months under the Perak constitution.

“There was no agenda of what was going to be discussed and most of our questions went unanswered. It was a total mockery of democracy; a contempt, and a shame to the house,” Nizar told FMT.

Nizar said he believed the mere three-hour sitting yesterday was the first of its kind and never occurred when Pakatan Rakyat ruled the state.

“During our time we had four days at least, I managed to convene sessions lasting five days with ample time for all parties to ask questions. Today (Monday), nothing of consequence was done, no bills were discussed.”

“What’s the point of having a meeting just for the sake of it? This was just rubber stamping… we couldn’t even ask questions, our microphones were turned off.

“We had to shout and yell. We couldn’t do anything,” complained the PAS Pasir Panjang assemblyman and Bukit Gantang MP.

MB not answering questions

Nizar said the “illegal” Speaker Ganesan had also brushed aside pertinent matters related to the welfare of the people.

“Certainly August is the time for a midterm review, but they had nothing. How could you run a state like this?”

“The Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir also couldn’t answer my question of his expenditures of overseas trips. Even (Prime Minister) Najib (Tun Razak) revealed in parliament that he spent RM17 million overseas trips with his wife, “ he said.

(Zambry had later maintained that he did not waste any government money for any holidays as all were important official trips.)

Nizar also said the current Perak state assembly disallowed online news portals to cover its sittings and only welcomed mainstream media such as Utusan Malaysia and Bernama. In addition, Nizar also questioned the constant presence of policemen.

DAP’s Sungkai assemblyman A Sivanesan also asked why his question on Ramadan bazaars was rejected yesterday. “I was merely asking if the waiver they are giving to stall owners now would be extended during Deepavali and Chinese New Year,” he said.

Speaker: No urgent matters

Meanwhile, the Perak Speaker lashed out at the opposition for consistently “finding reasons for walking out of the house every single time”.

Ganesan explained that the original two-day session was finished in one day as there were no urgent matters or bills to be debated and passed, adding that there was nothing wrong in that.

“We have to fulfil the requirement under the Perak constitution. How could they complain about this as it was also the practiced in the Kedah state legislative assembly,” he said.

Ganesan also defended himself over allegedly being biased, saying: “I was giving them equal opportunities. Two extra question was also given to the Pakatan side. What they are claiming is all bullshit.

“People who are inside the dewan know exactly what happens… toward the end of the day the opposition always finds some excuse to walk out so they can blame Barisan Nasional. They are always misleading the Press and the public with their theatrics,” he said.

This was not the first time the BN-led Perak state assembly has been criticised for being a “rubberstamp house”.

Pakatan Rakyat has always complained that ever since BN wrested the Pakatan-led state government in 2009 following the defection of three Pakatan elected representatives, they have been “bullied”.