Lim Kit Siang

Pandemonium in the house

This is from @limkitsiang (twitter).

06/15/2009 02:02 PM
7 pr mps suspended 4 2days- nizar ngeh koo ham nga kor ming mahfuz mohd hatta dzulkifli gopalakrishnan 4 bubar dun band

06/15/2009 12:47 PM
Press conference Parliament lobby with Anwar, Seng Giaw, Dzulkifli n PR MPs: 3 more PKFZ questions 2OTK, Suspension of Nizar n 6 PR MPs etc

06/15/2009 12:20 PM
speaker pandikar rejects my urgent motion on pkfz scandal on ground it is not urgent n pwc rept submitted 2macc/pac

06/15/2009 11:36 AM
Sorry, mistake.Tsu Koon was asking Penang CM Guan Eng a supplementary question – forgetting who is in govt.Was outside when this happened.

06/15/2009 11:23 AM
1st negative KPI 4Koh Tsu Koon. He stood up during question time to ask Dy Information Minister a supplementary question n was laughed down.

06/15/2009 10:52 AM
As expected, Hishammuddin blindly endorsed the police abuse of power on that Day of Infamy for Perak and Malaysia.

06/15/2009 10:48 AM
Hishamuddin (Home) answering Anwar’s question on police abuse of power in dragging Perak Speaker out of Perak Assembly on May7 Day of Infamy

06/15/2009 10:46 AM
Unable 2ask supplementary question 2Najib on 1Malaysia.Najib answered several MPs n gave long answer. Speaker refused to allow 3rd sup.query

06/15/2009 10:33 AM
After some 25 minutes of pandemonium, some semblance of order restored with Najib now answering first question on 1Malaysia.

06/15/2009 10:29 AM
Speaker said where in nation’s history an MP taking oath shouted “Bubar Dun” I asked where in nation’s history illegal power grab in Perak?

06/15/2009 10:25 AM
Speaker refused to entertain point of order when I stood up, first time in 52-yr history.

06/15/2009 10:19 AM
so far 2 dap 2pas 2pkr ordered out of hse

06/15/2009 10:16 AM
speaker orders pas mp out 4 wearing headband ‘bubar dun’

06/15/2009 10:12 AM
2 other pr mps ordered outy of house

06/15/2009 10:11 AM
pandemonium in hse nizar ordered out of house by speaker

06/15/2009 10:02 AM
parliament bell rings 3 mins 2start with nizar taking oath as new mp

Nizar and others kicked out of Parliament
Jun 15, 09 10:32am
Malaysiakini

Seven Pakatan Rakyat parliamentarians, including newly sworn-in Bukit Gantang MP Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, were ordered out of the Dewan Rakyat this morning over their call for the Perak state assembly to be dissolved.

Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia ordered them to leave the chambers and subsequently suspended them for two days.

Apart from Nizar, the others were Nga Kor Ming (DAP-Taiping), Ngeh Khoo Ham (DAP-Beruas), N Gobalakrishnan (PKR-Padang Serai), Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena), Zulkifly Ahmad (PAS-Kuala Selangor) and Hatta Ramli (PAS-Kuala Krai).

“I didn’t set a definite suspension time but according to the Standing Order, they cannot be suspended for more than 10 days. So (I am suspending them) for two days” said the speaker, explaining that his decision was also based on their violation of the dress code.

He said this does not allow for headbands to be worn, pointing out that Parliament “is not a market”.

Pandikar also reminded MPs not to disrupt the proceedings and to be dignified, noting that “24 minutes were wasted (this morning) for nothing”.

Nga and Ngeh were wearing headbands with the words Bubar DUN (Dissolve the State Assembly) in the House.

This was a reference to the political chaos in Perak, following the collapse of the state government in circumstances that are still being widely disputed. Nizar was the menteri besar at the time.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was present when the ruckus occurred.

Nizar was only sworn in this morning as the member of parliament for Bukit Gantang.

No welcoming speech for Nizar

Trouble started as soon as Nizar was sworn in as a member of parliament when he started saying loudly ‘Hidup rakyat’ (long live the people) and ‘Bubar DUN’ with Pakatan parliamentarians following suit.

Some Pakatan MPs had by now worn the ‘Bubar DUN’ headbands, including Nizar.

Speaker Pandikar Amin tried to get the MPs, especially those from Perak, to be quiet and urged them to remove the headbands.

“Please remove the cloths. That is not part of our uniform,” he pleaded but this only led to more MPs joining in the protest, which resulted in the speaker in first sending off the MPs and then following it up by suspending them.

This was perhaps the first time a newly sworn in MP has been suspended on the same day. Nizar was also denied the opportunity of getting the traditional welcome speech given by the speaker.

“Traditionally after an MP is sworn in, the speaker’s job is to welcome the new member, and in the welcoming speech, the speaker will speak of his hope that the new member will be able to contribute to the House,” Pandikar told the House.

“But this morning I find it difficult to say that, look at the behaviour of the member who was a menteri besar. I don’t care how you behave outside the House, but inside the Parliament please watch your behaviour. And because of this I will not deliver my welcoming address,” he added.

Talking to reporters later, Nizar said he had actually sought permission from the speaker to speak up to inform the House on the situation in Perak.

“In my oath I said that I will defend the constitution therefore I asked for permission from the speaker to inform the members on the constitution which has been sidelined in Perak,” he said.

‘Give Nizar a chance’

According to DAP veteran parliamentarian Lim Kit Siang, a semblance of order was restored after “some 25 minutes of pandemonium”.

Lim, who is providing live twitter updates on the parliamentary proceedings, said Najib then proceeded to answer the first question on 1Malaysia.

Outside the House, security officials told all non-MPs to remove the Bubar DUN headband.

Talking to reporters later, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said it was unfair for Nizar to be suspended without being given a chance to have his say on the Perak issue.

“As a new MP , who was just sworn in, he has to be given a chance… we all know the context in which he was ousted as the Perak menteri besar and the way the way the legislative assembly proceedings had taken place,” said Anwar.

Looking at these aspects, Anwar said, Nizar should be given a chance to express his grievances.

“If we can’t air our views and protest in Parliament, where else will we able to express our grievances,” asked Anwar.

Security in Parliament House has been tight with a heavy police presence. The two-week sitting started today.

Nizar, Pakatan MPs thrown out after his swearing in
Malaysian Insider
May 15, 2009

By Adib Zalkapli and Shannon Teoh
KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin was thrown out of Parliament moments after he was sworn in this morning as the new Bukit Gantang MP.

He had led Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs in chants of “Hidup rakyat (long live the people)” and “Bubar DUN (dissolve the assembly)” as soon as the swearing-in ceremony ended, with some of them seen wearing headbands with the words “Bubar Dun”.

Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, who was annoyed by the Perak lawmakers, asked Nizar, M. Kulasegaran, Ngeh Koo Ham and Nga Kor Ming to leave the House, after they refused to remove the headbands.

“Please remove the cloths. That is not part of our uniform,” he had said.

As more MPs joined in to protest the action of the Speaker, Datuk Mahfuz Omar (Pokok Sena), N. Gobalakrishnan (Padang Serai), Teo Nie Ching (Serdang), were also asked to leave.

Pandikar later refused to deliver the customary welcoming speech, saying that Nizar had misbehaved.

“Traditionally after an MP is sworn in, the Speaker’s job is to welcome the new member, and in the welcoming speech, the Speaker will speak of his hope that the new member will be able to contribute to the House,” Pandikar told the House.

“But this morning I find it difficult to say that, look at the behaviour of the member who was a mentri besar. I don’t care how you behave outside the House, but inside the Parliament please watch your behaviour. And because of this I will not deliver my welcoming address,” he added.

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby, Nizar said that Barisan Nasional (BN) was hypocritical as Parliament was sitting while the Perak assembly is in crisis.

“In my oath I said that I will defend the constitution therefore I asked for permission from the Speaker to inform the members on the constitution which has been sidelined in Perak,” said Nizar.

Nizar and the other Pakatan MPs speak to the press after they were ordered out of Parliament.

However, the Speaker did not have time to consider his request before Nizar began the chants.

Mahfuz also pointed out that former Speaker, the late Tun Zahir Ismail, had allowed anti-ISA armband during the 10th Parliament session.

Several Perak PR assemblymen were also present to show support to the ousted Perak mentri besar who was asked to step down by the Perak Sultan last February despite asking for fresh polls.

Nizar won the Bukit Gantang seat in April in a by-election seen as a referendum on the takeover of the state government by BN through defections.

A relatively unknown politician until his appointment as mentri besar last year, Nizar early this month was voted into the PAS central working committee and obtained the highest number of votes.