PKR has blasted parliamentary speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia for denying a legitimate parliamentarian, Permatang Pauh MP Anwar Ibrahim, from attending the Dewan sitting.

 

“How can the speaker take such an action when opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is still a parliamentarian?” asked PKR Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul.

 

Johari, who is also PKR chief whip, was referring to a letter he had received from the speaker about the rejection of the appeal from several parties to allow Anwar to attend Parliament, which begins today.

 

The speaker in the letter said the application for Anwar was subject to certain decisions made by informed parties.

 

“This means that the speaker does not allow Anwar, who is also Permatang Pauh MP to attend the sessions in Parliament,” Johari said in a statement today.

 

He added that on behalf of all the PKR MPs, this decision was “regretful”.

 

“All this while, we had hoped the speaker would have provided ample room for an MP to receive his rights and be protected as enshrined in the federal constitution,” he said.

Game of musical chairs

 

Both Anwar's lawyers and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah wrote to the speaker on Feb 25 and Feb 27 respectively for Anwar to attend the Dewan Rakyat.

 

The decision was made known on March 4 after a letter was received by Anwar's lawyers and family members from the Prisons Department, rejecting Anwar's request, a PKR official said.

 

Anwar's lawyers N Surendran and Latheefa Koya insisted however that Section 13 (1) of the Prison's Act 1995 explicitly mentions the director-general of the prison's department is responsible to the home minister and therefore it was the minister’s responsibility.

 

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, however, washed his hands of the matter and said that the final decision lies with the pardons board and that the matter was also subject to legal interpretations by the speaker and the attorney-general.

 

Johari ( right ), not satisfied with the speaker's reply, added that he will personally meet with the Pandikar to discuss with him in detail the reasons behind the decision he made and what can be done to allow Anwar to attend Parliament.

 

Anwar, who was jailed last month after being convicted in the Sodomy II case, remains a parliamentarian and opposition leader pending a decision on his royal pardon bid.