Opposition walks out over motion to refer Wan Saiful to privileges committee
Published on: Monday, June 24, 2024
By: Ainin Wan Salleh
.%5B2%5D.jpg "Opposition walks out over motion to refer Wan Saiful to privileges committee")
The walkout by opposition MPs occurred minutes before the lower house was adjourned for lunch.
PETALING JAYA: The opposition staged a walkout in the Dewan Rakyat after a motion was tabled to refer Wan Saiful Wan Jan (PN-Tasek Gelugor) to the rights and privileges committee today.
Bersatu chief whip Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran) had demanded Speaker Johari Abdul to decide if the motion was sub judice, seeing that it was related to an on-going court case involving the Bersatu MP.
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Kiandee said if it was indeed sub judice, Wan Saiful could not be referred to the committee.
However, Johari said the motion was not sub judice and stressed that Wan Saiful had been given the opportunity to explain himself to the committee.
“We are not making any decisions (on the case) here, just asking him to explain himself to the committee, who will then decide the next course of action,” he added.
Kiandee, however, doubled down, saying: “You cannot discuss matters that are considered sub judice,” citing Standing Order 23(1)(g).
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He accused the Speaker of “using the majority” to refer Wan Saiful to the committee.
“You cannot use your majority to bulldoze (through) a motion that goes against the Standing Orders. The Speaker is the custodian of the rules. You must uphold them whether it involves those of us on this side (opposition) or the other side,” he said.
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Calling the motion “defective”, Kiandee urged Johari to withdraw it and stop “victimising our fellow MP”.
The walkout occurred after Johari called for a vote. The Speaker then adjourned the sitting for lunch.
The motion is over Wan Saiful’s claim that court charges brought against him could be dropped if he declared support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Wan Saiful, a member of the Bersatu Supreme Council, has been charged with money laundering and corruption related to the Jana Wibawa scheme.
Speaker’s decision illegal, say opposition MPs
At a press conference later, Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin expressed his disappointment over what had happened, saying “what the Speaker did was illegal”.
“I’m not too sure what the law is when it comes to a Speaker making an illegal decision,” said the Pagoh MP, who is also Bersatu president.
“Hence, we decided to walk out because we know they (the government) have a big majority. So, whether we debate (the motion) or not, they won’t bother and just approve the motion they tabled.”
Meanwhile, PN chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan, who is the Kota Bharu MP, said they will look into whether it was possible to refer the Speaker to a special parliamentary committee over his decision today.
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