COMMENT Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia should be congratulated for the way he had conducted himself over his resignation-that-wasn’t.

In the process, even former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad finds himself being given a slap on the face, albeit discreetly, for jumping the gun and revealing a conversation that was supposed to be confidential between men of equal standing.

Going by Johor Baru MP Shahrir Samad’s observations , tendering one’s resignation is probably now the best way to get an attached toilet finally approved by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Shahidan Kassim.

Before this, even the speaker appears to have to share the same toilets as the janitors. Like some would immediately say, “No standard!” The speaker is equivalent to the chief executive officer of any major organisation. He is supposed to chair meetings to ensure that both sides have a fair say.

But this speaker has no attached toilet that he can use! How absurd! In the context of today’s politics, this can be excused. After all, as some critics have put it, the Parliament has become the rubber stamp for the government.

Puppet on a string or reformist?

They say that if you have a hold on the speaker, in the way he is allowed to chair the Parliament sessions, would now be up to your whims and fancies.

This conjures the image of a puppet on a string, a not-so-pleasant way of describing Dewan Rakyat speakers, past and present.

Jokes aside, it is time for Pandikar Amin ( photo ) to prove that he is a man of his word. After seven years of lacklustre performance, will he finally demonstrate to the world that he is a true reformist, and not an opportunist as some would like to paint him?

What we want to see - and I am sure observers from across the globe - is that Malaysians will now have a reformist as a parliamentary speaker. There is a lot of power in his hands, if he chooses to defy orders from the top.

After all, the parliament is supposed to be the highest legislative body and it should not be receiving instructions, whether from the prime minister or even a cabinet minister.

In the Parliament, the speaker is well above everyone else, including the prime minister himself. In today’s context, Najib is only a member of Parliament representing his constituency.

Pandikar Amin has no reason to gripe over the minister in charge of the parliament. After all, if he is the speaker, he is above all 221 members of parliament, and being the 222nd member of the August House, Pandikar is supposed to be impartial to both sides.

He has the duty to make sure that the best arguments are being brought up from both the ruling party and the opposition. Has he even done that in the past seven years? Maybe we can excuse him, but we certainly would like to see more autonomy in Parliament.

Otherwise, Pandikar Amin has no one to blame but himself for not seizing the moment, when he can make a difference in the history of this country.

Pandikar Amin can leave behind a strong legacy and start a new chapter for Malaysian democracy by carrying out his official duty as the Dewan Rakyat speaker, especially when there are urgings from both the DAP and the BN Backbenchers Club to revive the Parliament Service Act 1963 (PSA).

Bring back PSA, allow questions on 1MDB

We will be watching him from now, whether anything bold is being done to break the norms.

Although we know that the PSA was repealed in 1992 by former prime minister Dr Mahathir, the legislation was meant to protect the autonomy and independence of the August House.

It is time for Pandikar Amin as speaker to allow the motion to be tabled, debated and put it to the vote.

There is no point crying on the shoulders of Dr Mahathir, especially for a man - and a leader - of his stature. True men take charge and make bold moves, only losers whine about their best.

Should that happen, we will see if Pandikar Amin’s neck will be put on the chopping block, and whether he will receive  the support of fellow Malaysians. But my question is whether he is prepared for the worst-case scenario now that Najib has rejected his resignation, or is he just another opportunist?

The other next bold move is for Pandikar Amin to allow questions on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). After all, the Parliament is supposed to see lively debates on the current issues that concern the rakyat.

The rakyat are simply astounding by the amount of money involved, which cannot seem to be accounted for although the repayment of loan can be made through the sale of high-value land assets locked up in the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX).

Where is the RM42 billion? Was it invested somewhere? The prime minister appears to be evading this question by telling the people that 1MDB can service its loan at any given time.

In the first place, we are not worried about the value of the land or whether it could be sold in the open market, but why did it have to involve several public funds like Lembaga Tabung Haji and Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP)?

Going by Najib’s explanations, the land should be sold on the open market for the best price, and even better still, the land should be transferred back to the government so that at the end of the day, it is the people who will benefit from the sale of the land.

The key is now with Pandikar Amin, whether he is man enough to take on the fight for the people.

A number of policies that we know, for example, are not supposed to be there in a democratic nation in the first place.

As the honourable speaker of the August House, Pandikar Amin can decide to allow these policies to be put on the table for lively debates between the two sides of the political divide.

Let the people decide what is best for the nation, instead of giving all powers and authorities to one man.

We are where we are today as a nation, because we allowed too much power to be vested on one man.

 

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.