Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should recall the Dewan Rakyat for a two-day meeting in the last week of May to complete outstanding business interrupted by a leaking roof last week.

The Parliament was meeting on the last day of the current parliamentary session when water began pouring into the hall from a leaking roof.

The incident which happened at about 3.30pm last Thursday had prematurely ended the parliamentary sitting after the speaker expressed fears that the water could cause a short circuit among the electronic equipment in the House, or worse still, the roof could cave in.

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang wanted a two-day reassembly of members of parliament to enable outstanding business which would have been transacted if the Dewan Rakyat had not been "prematurely, ignominiously and unceremoniously" cut short.

He said the special sitting would allow the Parliament - which is not due to meet again until June 20 - to debate three government bills, six Treasury motions as well as the controversial motion on Burma.

Abdullah had ordered the Burma motion to be withdrawn to avoid angering the military regime in Rangoon but some dissatisfied MPs had agreed to debate the issue nevertheless.

The withdrawn motion called for the Burmese generals to release all political prisoners including democracy icon and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as implementing democratic reforms in the military-ruled nation.

Heavy cost

Lim also wanted the special sitting to discuss why "after a RM85 million renovation of Parliament House, the Dewan Rakyat ceiling can spring a leak, drenching the chamber, disrupting power supply for the whole Parliament House and bringing parliamentary proceedings to an abrupt and disgraceful end!"

The opposition leader had lamented that the price of the leak went beyond the repair cost and the damage done to country's reputation in the international arena.

"The cost of a parliamentary sitting a day is easily in the region of RM250,000, taking into account the meeting, hotel and travelling entitlements of the 219 MPs."

He added that the government had also to forego millions of ringgit of tax as the Excise Amendment Bill, which could not be passed due to the premature ending of the parliamentary sitting.

"Finance Ministry parliamentary secretary Hilmi Yahya said the forced adjournment of the Dewan Rakyat meant that the excise duty could not be collected."

Lim suggested that Parliament could be recalled after the Dewan Negara - which is currently sitting for 12 days - had completed its meeting on May 19 and after the Dewan Rakyat ceiling had been repaired.