Yang di Pertuan Agong will only consider Guan Eng’s petition to remove his disqualification as MP after the Malacca Yang di Pertua Negeri had decided on his  pardon petition

(Petaling Jaya, Tuesday):  DAP Deputy Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Guan Eng has been informed that the Yang di Pertuan Agong will only consider his petition to remove his disqualification as Member of Parliament after the Malacca Yang di Pertua Negri had decided on his pardon petition.

Guan Eng, who is in Kajang Prisons on two concurrent jail sentences of 18-months each under the Sedition Act and Printing Presses and Publications Act, was informed of this in a letter from Istana Negara  dated 26th September 1998 from Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Di Raja, Datuk Abdul Rahman bin Hj. Ali.

The letter to Guan Eng, among other things, states:
 

"Sepertimana yang tersedia maklum, pada 7hb September 1998 YB telah mengemukakan petisyen kepada Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di Pertuan Agong untuk menggunaka ‘prerogative’ Raja bagi belas kasihan menggugurkan kehilangan kelayakan YB sebagai Ahli Parlimen dengan diberi pengampunan bebas.

"Saya ingin menjelaskan bahawa kuasa Seri Paduka Baginda yang di-Pertuan Agong mengenai pemberian pengampunan secara amnya adalah dibawah Perkara 42(1) Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang memperuntukkan:

‘The Yang di Pertuan Agong has power to grant pardons, reprieves and respites in respect of all offences which have been tried by court martial and all offences committed in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan; and the Ruler or Yang di Pertua Negeri of a State as power to grant pardons, reprieves and respites in respect of all other offences committed in his State.’

"Tetapi apa yang di pohon oleh YB kepada Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong adalah mengenai pembatalan kehilangan kelayakan yang termaktub dalam Perkara 48(3) Perlembagaan Persekutuan iaitu:

‘48.(3)   The disqualification of a person under paragraph (d) or paragraph (e) of Clause (1) may be removed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and shall, if not so removed, cease at the end of the period of five years beginning with the date on which the return mentioned in the said paragraph (d) was required to be lodged, or, as the case may be, the date on which the person convicted as mentioned in the said paragraph (e) was released  from custody or the date on which the fine mentioned in the said paragraph (e) was imposed on such person and a person shall not be disqualified under paragraph (f) of Clause (1) by reason only of anything done by him before he became a citizen.’

"Sehubung dengan itu, peruntukan 48(4)© Perlembagaan Persekutuan ada mengatakan bahawa seseorang Ahli Parlimen yang telah dihukum itu hilang kelayakannya apabila tamat tempoh 14 hari dari tarikh apa-apa rayuan diberikan jika dalam  tempoh 14 hari itu tidak ada dikemukakan suatu petisyen untuk mendapatkan pengampunan.

"Jadi oleh kerana YB telahpun mengemukakan petisyen untuk memperolehi pengampunan daripada TYT Yang di Pertua Negeri Melaka, maka soal kehilangan kelayakan itu tidak akan wujud sebelum TYT Yang di Pertua Negeri Melaka memberi pertimbangan kepada petisyen YB itu. Dengan ini keputusan TYT Yang di Pertua Negeri Melaka perlulah ditunggu terlebih dahulu sebelum permohonan petisyen YB dapat diputuskan oleh Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di Pertuan Agong dimana di peringkat ini ianya adalah dianggap pramasa (premature)."

(6/10/98)