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Media Statement (2)
by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Friday, 7th
November 2008:
DAP and Pakatan Rakyat MPs to push for
severest action to be taken against BN Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul
Rahman for using the terms �bastard� and �bloody bastard� in Parliament
Yesterday, two DAP MPs were suspended from
the Dewan Rakyat � a dubious record for a single day of parliamentary
proceeding.
DAP MP for Batu Gajah Fong Po Kuan was reduced to tears not because she
had committed any crime or wrong but at the injustice of being ordered
out of the House for trying to discharge her parliamentary duty to speak
up on behalf of her constituents and Malaysians.
DAP MP for Bandar Kuching Chong Chieng Jen was suspended because he
stood up to support Fong and complained about the harsh nature of of the
Speaker�s decision.
On Tuesday, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) MP for Batu, Tian Chua, was
suspended from the House for repeatedly demanding to know why the
Finance Minister, Datuk Najib Razak was refusing to allow opposition MPs
to seek clarification on his new RM7 billion supplement to the 2009
Budget which had not been formally tabled in Parliament.
Last Thursday, DAP National Chairman and MP for Bukit Gelugor Karpal
Singh was suspended for two days over the �main, main� issue.
But all these �infractions� of the four Pakatan Rakyat MPs added
together are nothing compared to the ultimate parliamentary offence by
the obstreperous Barisan Nasional MP for Pasir Salak Datuk Tajuddin
Abdul Rahman in his most obnoxious and completely unacceptable conduct
on Wednesday when he used the terms �bastard� and �bloody bastard�
against the DAP MP for Ipoh Barat, M. Kulasegaran.
The Malaysian Parliament may have the notoriety as the first Parliament
in the world where MPs could get away with unparliamentary terms like
�bastard� and �bloody bastard� lightly.
Although Tajuddin subsequently withdrew the ultimate of unparliamentary
terms, the damage had already been done � as it was a parliamentary
offence which could be mitigated and not wiped out by a withdrawal.
Compared to the punishment meted out to Po Kuan, Chieng Jen, Tian Chua
and Karpal, Tajuddin should be suspended for at least one year if not
two years for deliberately using terms which go beyond the pale of
parliamentary permissibility and dishonouring forever parliamentary
honour and record.
If Tajuddin is allowed to get away with such �ultimate� contempt of
Parliament, it would only be a matter of time before four-letter
obscenities and expletives are deliberately used in the House by an MP,
who would be quite happy to withdraw it when challenged � preserving the
whole disgraceful episode for posterity.
This must not be permitted.
To safeguard the honour and dignity of Parliament, DAP and Pakatan
Rakyat MPs will push for the severest action to be taken Tajuddin for
his uncouth and boorish behaviour in using the terms �bastard� and
�bloody bastard� in Parliament against another MP in Parliament. In
fact, such terms should never be heard again in the Chambers of
Malaysian Parliament.
*
Lim
Kit Siang, DAP
Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor
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