PKR will get a second bite at filing an urgent motion in the Dewan Rakyat to debate the need for a royal commission of inquiry into the alleged abuse of power in judicial appointments.

Speaker Ramli Ngah Talib, who had earlier faxed a rejection of written notification, made an exception by allowing Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR-Permatang Pauh) to file another motion.

This surprised the PKR president, as parliamentary Standing Order 18(8) states that a motion for debate cannot be filed again once it has been rejected.

Ramli explained in the House this morning that the grounds of rejection were technical ones based on the finding that Wan Azizah had filed the motion prematurely.

On Sept 21, she had faxed a letter to the Speaker's office to notify him that the motion must top the urgent list for debate when Parliament reconvened after a month's break for Ramadan and Hari Raya.

On Oct 9, she received a fax from the Speaker's office, rejecting the motion because the notification was made too early.

According to parliamentary rules, any motion to urgently debate any particular matter must be filed in the 24 hours prior to a sitting.

Lingam tape scandal

At a press conference in the Parliament lobby, Wan Azizah disputed the interpretation, saying she was of the view that the notice must be filed "at least 24 hours before a sitting".

"The issue of the judiciary is of utmost importance and the recent release of the scandalous Lingam tape reflects the horrendous state of the legal sphere. I cannot accept Ramli's reason for rejecting the motion," she said.

She later told malaysiakini that she would re-submit the motion tomorrow.

Wan Azizah noted that the cabinet-appointed panel of inquiry has limited terms of reference and that only a royal commission could reinstate public confidence in the judiciary.

On Sept 19, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim had released part of a video tape implicating senior lawyer VK Lingam in a 2002 telephone conversation - purportedly with current Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim - allegedly brokering judicial appointments.

This has prompted outrage, leading the legal fraternity to hold a 3.5km 'Walk for Justice' in Putrajaya to protest the state of the judiciary.

SPECIAL REPORT: The Lingam tape