Kit Siang: Amend polls report to compel adoption
DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang (Ipoh Timor) wants the interim recommendations tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today by the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reform to be reworded to make it binding and enforceable on all parties.
DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang (Ipoh Timor) wants the interim recommendations tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today by the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reform to be reworded to make it binding and enforceable on all parties.
"If not, there will be no compulsion on the government and other agencies to implement the recommendations," Lim told the House when debating the report.
His motion, tabled under Standing Orders 30 (1) and 30 (4) (c), calls for certain words to be replaced in the recommendations to compel the government, Election Commission and other agencies to be bound by the report and enforce the recommendations.
Kit Siang had called for amendments to that effect as well as a report on the progress of the implementation to be tabled in Parliament on the first day of next year’s sitting.
While concurring with Lim, Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia (
left
) rejected the motion on grounds that changes to a report tabled before Parliament would require a private member’s bill to be debated in the House with two weeks’ notice as defined in Standing Order 33 (12).
“I believe that this (compulsion) is in accordance with the spirit of the report... but to change the wording of the report would require a private member’s bill.
“I also agree with you in principle, but I can only act under standing orders of the House. I don’t even have the power to comment on the report itself,” explained Pandikar further.
Earlier, while debating the same report, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim (PKR-Permatang Pauh) called for a specific date to be fixed for the implementations of the recommendations, so that there will be no excuse that the agencies concerned are not ready if an election is suddenly called.
“The wording that it should be implemented before the 13th general election is not enough,” he argued.
During his debate, Anwar also crossed swords with former subordinate N Gobalakrishnan (Independent-Padang Serai) who interrupted the former deputy premier during his speech that was touching on allegations of electoral fraud.
“Fix yourself first before commenting on others,” hit out Gobalakrishnan, who proceeded to heckle Anwar, prompting the Permatang Pauh MP to call him “uneducated”.
Gobala’s (
right
) exchange with Anwar caught the eye of deputy speaker Wan Junaidy Wan Jaafar, who asked the Padang Serai MP to stand down.
However, Anwar took a pot shot at Gobalakrishnan yet again, saying that “One should not drink before coming into the House”.
His remark prodded Gobalakrishnan to cause a commotion as he threw a fit, threatening to cite Anwar under Standing Order 36 (6) for making malicious comments about him.
Wan Junaidy, however, refused to listen to his argument, asking him repeatedly to stand down and not disrupt House proceedings.
Gobalakrishnan refused and the deputy speaker had to resort to ejecting the Padang Serai MP from the Dewan Rakyat. A further commotion occurred as the Independent parliamentarian refused to leave and had to be physically carried out by the sergeant-at-arms and several parliament staffers.
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