Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia is not enhancing public respect for the Speakership or the institution of Parliament with his latest tantrum and threat through the BN Backbencher’s Club (BNBBC) to pursue a vendetta with DAP Members of Parliament, Lim Lip Eng (Segambut) and Ng Wei Aik (Tanjong) by blackballing them from speaking in Parliament.
Pandikar challenged the two DAP MPs to resign if parliamentary reforms were implemented in the early sessions next year.
“I want them to resign or clear their seats if the first phase of the reforms are done early next year in the Parliament session.
“If they do not resign, even if they stand up a hundred times to speak or debate, I will not invite them to speak under Standing Order 35.
“They will not get my respect as a speaker”.
I do not want at present to get involved in the argument over parliamentary reforms.
However, as an independent Speaker, Pandikar has no business to speak to BNBBC on the subject of pursuing a vendetta with Lip Eng and Wei Aik.
Secondly, a Speaker must completely stay above the political fray, whether inside or outside Parliament. He may personally hate the guts of Lip Eng and Wei Aik, and cannot stand the sight of these two MPs, but he must not allow his personal prejudices and likes or dislikes to influence his role and responsibility as Parliament Speaker.
It is completely unthinkable that there should be a Speaker in Parliament who will hold personal grudges against MPs to the extent of announcing a public policy to blackball them by ignoring their existence and refusing to allow them to participate in parliamentary debates and proceedings.
Can a Speaker unilaterally and arbitrarily deny the rights of the electorate of Segambut and Tanjong from having their elected Member of Parliament the right to represent them in Parliament?
A Speaker who have descended to this level of personal animosity towards MPs should resign as Speaker as clearly he could not function efficiently and competently as an independent and impartial Speaker.
I hope good sense will prevail and Pandikar will cease and desist from undermining the high office of Speakership, which must be the common aim of Members of Parliament from both sides of the House in having any meaningful parliamentary reforms.