PARLIAMENT | A DAP lawmaker was given the marching orders when he insisted that Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam misled the Dewan Rakyat for claiming there was enough anti-rabies vaccine.

"You said the vaccine is enough but it is actually not enough," Stampin MP Julian Tan said, raising Section 36(12) of the Standing Orders.

Section 36(12) states that any member who makes statements that mislead the House is seen to be in contempt of the House and the member may be referred to the committee of privileges.

Tan continued to speak on the matter despite Deputy Speaker Ronald Kiandee telling him to sit.

"You have not listened to my explanation, how can you not listen to my explanation?" asked the vexed MP.

However, Kiandee said Section 36(12) can only be raised if the minister repeatedly made the statement with malicious intent.

"That's why I said sit down," he added.

Tan's party colleague, Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen, also argued that the rabies situation was out of control despite the government insisting otherwise.

Following this, Kiandee told Tan to leave the Dewan.

"Why are you asking me to leave the Dewan? I'm raising a crisis. There's a crisis in my area, people have died," the MP shouted in protest.

Subramaniam (photo) had earlier stated that anti-rabies vaccine for both humans and animals were sufficient.

"The Health Ministry has enough vaccine for human use (while) the Veterinary Department in collaboration with the Sarawak government has enough vaccine for animals.

"So the notion that it is as though vaccine stocks are insufficient is not true," he said.

Chong, however, later pointed out that there were cases in which vaccination had been administered too late.

"Once you detect the symptom, you are dead. But before the symptom is developed, the doctor cannot give the vaccine.

"Is this why the minister said that vaccine is enough?" asked Chong.

To table an emergency motion

Tan, in a press conference after he was ejected from the Dewan, said that national mobilisation should be called as part of efforts to contain rabies.

"I'll table an emergency motion today. In fact, the motion was prepared, but I waited for the answers given by the minister to see what he has to say. But what he said was grossly insufficient.

"Two years ago, a rabies outbreak happened and not a single human life was lost. Now, rabies outbreak happens in Sarawak, five lives have been lost yet the government is still not taking it seriously," he lamented.

Subramaniam, in a subsequent press conference later, hit out at opposition MPs for "trying to twist facts" in relation to the stance and measures taken by the government to solve the issue.

Vaccine, he explained, has been administered to 461 victims while 17,799 animals have been vaccinated as of July 20.

Out of the 8,000 vaccine stockpiles for humans, only 2,000 have been used, Subramaniam added.

"There is no such thing as vaccine shortage. When I answered that it is enough I said it based on facts.

"The opposition is trying to use this as a political opportunity (but) this is not the platform.

"You don't use a disease outbreak to gain political mileage, the opposition should cooperate with the government in this matter and don't try to create issues," he said.

Explaining the standard operating procedure in a suspected rabies case, Subramaniam said a victim bitten in a locality declared as a rabies-infected area will get the vaccine.

"If you are bitten in an area which is not a locality, we will not give you the vaccine, that's the standard operating procedure and the doctors will make a decision if the patients need the vaccination or not," he added.

Sarawak government has since declared 20 districts in three divisions - Serian, Sri Aman and Kuching - as rabies-infected.

Five victims in Sarawak have died due to the disease.