Several DAP members of Parliament objected loudly in the Dewan Rakyat after they were denied the opportunity to present their concerns during the debate o­n the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars).

Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng ( photo ) and Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan argued with Deputy Speaker Lim Si Cheng after the latter cut short the question section of the debate, citing time constraints.

Chong repeatedly said, " Tolonglah " while Fong appealed unsuccessfully for three additional minutes to speak. The deputy speaker asked Chong to withdraw her remarks while insisting that the MPs sit down.

Members upset

During a press conference earlier, Fong criticised Dewan Rakyat Speaker Dr Mohamed Zahir Ismail for rejecting her motion o­n Tuesday for a debate to be held o­n the same issue.

The DAP MP said her motion had satisfied three criteria for a debate namely that it was based o­n a specific issue, it was of public interest and urgent.

"The speaker should reject o­nly if the motion does not fulfil these criteria. But in his written response to me, he did not even mention these three points," said Fong, pointing out that her motion was excluded o­n a "technicality".

In his letter to Fong, copies of which were distributed, Zahir said his decision was based o­n the fact that the health ministry had already briefed the public o­n the matter.

"Standing Order 18(3)b states that any issue that has been addressed by the government cannot be debated again," he said in the letter.

"I was told by health ministry officials about the four Ipoh cases. These cases were o­nly suspected Sars cases. Two cases in Kuala Lumpur hospitals also fall under this category.

"All these were not cases under WHO guidelines (although) some newspapers reported them as such. That is why the government did not reveal them to the public. It would be wrong of them to do otherwise."

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