Surendran ejected from Parliament, again

PARLIAMENT MP for Padang Serai and PKR vice-president N Surendran has been ejected from the Dewan Rakyat for the second time this session by speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia.

This came after Surendran tried to raise an emergency motion on the demolition of the annexe of the Sri Muneswarar temple in Jalan P Ramlee on Sunday.

The MP's attempt was rejected on technical grounds by the speaker

When Surendran tried to explain his reasoning, he was asked to leave the House by Pandikar for delaying the proceedings for the day.

On Sept 25, he became the first MP to be ejected from the current session of Parliament when trying to raise under a Standing Order a petition querying the death in custody of P Karuna Nithi.
Surendran raised his motion under Standing Order 18(1), but Pandikar cut him off before he could finish explaining his motion, rejecting it on technical grounds.

Pandikar (left) said that the Standing Order provides for a motion to be raised to generate discussion in the August House and not to make a decision, pointing out that Surendran’s motion was done with the intent of urging the House to make a decision on the matter.

Pandikar then went on to personally explain the government’s stand on the issue, saying that only the structure around the temple was demolished and that the land belongs to the government in the first place.

“Don’t drag me into a political issue. I don’t want to be seen as a speaker who is not responsible, and someone who favours the government,” Pandikar said.

When Surendran tried to refute the version of events Pandikar had referred to, based on explanations by the Federal Territories Ministry, he was asked to leave, while other Opposition MPs who stood up were asked to sit down without being given an opportunity to speak.

Surendran later described the version of events mentioned Pandikar as an “utter lie” and said that only a small part of the temple remains now.

He also criticised the speaker for taking the government’s version of events as facts.

“This has never happened in any Commonwealth country. The speaker may not agree, but the speaker always allows the MP to finish speaking first. Here, we are not allowed to even speak,” he said.

Fellow PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar said that the speaker was supposed to be independent and should allow for an explanation in the House itself from the relevant minister.