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Emergency debate in Parliament on Raja Petra’s allegations on Altantuya murder

I have given notice for an emergency debate tomorrow on Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s allegations on the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case.

My notice for an adjournment of Parliament tomorrow reads:

“That the House gives leave to MP for Ipoh Timor YB Lim Kit Siang to adjourn the House under S.O. 18 (1) to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance – the statutory declaration dated June 18, 2008 by blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin implicating the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister’s wife over the case of murder of Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaariibuu.

“Raja Petra alleged that he had been reliably informed that between about 10pm on October 19, 2006 and early hours of the following day, the night Altantuya was murdered, three other people were also present at the scene of crime, viz:

(a) Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of the DPM;

(b) Acting Colonel Aziz Buyong (then Lt. Col) a C4 expert;

(c) Aziz’s wife, Norhayati, described as ‘one of Rosmah’s ADC’.

“Raja Petra alleged that Aziz was the person who placed the C4 on various parts of Altantuya’s body witnessed by Rosmah and Norhayati. Continue reading “Emergency debate in Parliament on Raja Petra’s allegations on Altantuya murder”

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All eyes on Parliament – everyone asking, confidence or not?

All eyes are on Parliament, with everyone asking, will there be a no confidence vote or not, although there is no such motion in the Order Paper.

However, as I had blogged last Friday, it is not necessary to have a proper motion of no confidence to create a “no confidence” vote in Parliament on the Prime Minister and the government-of-the-day.

This is the reason for the buzz and excitement in the House, with the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sitting through the entire Dewan Rakyat sitting since question time up to now (12.40 pm) which has never happened before, especially as the Prime Minister did not stand up to answer the two questions addressed to the Prime Minister during question time.

I am sure the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers and veteran parliamentarians are aware that the motion moved by Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Abdul Samad seeking support for the government’s measures over food, oil and commodities price increases, including the reduction of oil subsidies, will become a “no confidence motion” if it is defeated. Continue reading “All eyes on Parliament – everyone asking, confidence or not?”

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Govt motion on price increases on Monday can be turned into “no confidence motion” if there are the numbers

After a marathon meeting, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) President Datuk Yong Teck Lee has received endorsement by SAPP supreme council for his call for a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Up to now, Parliament has not received any notice from any Member of Parliament for a no-confidence motion.

However, it is not necessary to have a proper motion of no confidence to create a “no confidence” vote in Parliament on the Prime Minister and the government-of-the-day.

I have been informed that the first item of parliamentary business after the 90-minute question time on Monday will be a motion by the Minister for Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad seeking support for the measures taken by the government over price increases of food, oil and commodities, including reduction of oil subsidies.

This government motion on price increases in Parliament on Monday can be turned into a no-confidence motion if there are enough numbers in Parliament to defeat it. Continue reading “Govt motion on price increases on Monday can be turned into “no confidence motion” if there are the numbers”

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No confidence motion – will incipient revolt by BN MPs in support of Yong Teck Lee be crushed by BN SC emergency meeting?

Following the bombshell by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Yong Teck Lee yesterday announcing that its two MPs Dr. Chua Soon Bui (Tawau) and Eric Enchin Majimbun (Sepanggar) would move a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, many questions are swirling for answer, including whether it is possible for a no confidence motion to be moved in Parliament on Monday when it looks procedurally impossible as up to yesterday no such notice of motion had been submitted to Parliament.

In fact, although a proper motion of no confidence has not been submitted to date to Parliament, it is not impossible to duplicate a no confidence vote in Parliament on the Barisan Nasional government on Monday.

Whether a no confidence motion could be moved, debated and voted upon in Parliament on Monday, however academic it appears, is however not the foremost question created by Yong Teck Lee’s announcement yesterday.

The most important question from the SAPP action, which has dealt another mortal blow on the Barisan Nasional government after the March 8 “political tsunami”, is:

Will the declaration by the two SAPP MPs of no-confidence in Abdullah as Prime Minister trigger support from other BN MPs in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia or will the incipient revolt by disaffected BN MPs be crushed with SAPP expelled by BN today with the engineering of a SAPP Baru?

Continue reading “No confidence motion – will incipient revolt by BN MPs in support of Yong Teck Lee be crushed by BN SC emergency meeting?”

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SAPP bombshell – a second political tsunami in next few days?

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has dropped a bombshell when its president Yong Teck Lee announced that its two MPs, Dr. Chua Soon Bui (Tawau) and Eric Majimbun (Sepanggar) would move a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when Parliament resumes on Monday.

But will the bombshell land in Parliament on Monday?

With the ruling coalition commanding unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority in the 11 general elections since Merdeka in 1957 until the recent political tsunami of the March 2008 general election, there had never been any no confidence motion against the Prime Minister in Malaysian parliamentary history. Continue reading “SAPP bombshell – a second political tsunami in next few days?”

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PM should seek Parliament approval on June 23 for hefty oil price increases

Ipoh’s protest :
Lim Kit Siang leading Perak's MPs and State Assemblymen and Women at Ipoh's Protest Protestor
KL’s protest :
 

Some hundred people, including DAP MP for Ipoh Barat, M. Kulasegaran, Perak State Assembly Speaker Sivakumar, Perak DAP State Excos Su Keong Siong, A. Sivanesan and Chen Fook Chye and DAP Perak Assembly members Leong Mee Meng (Jalong), Lim Pek Har (Menglembu), Ong Boon Piow (Tebing Tinggi) and Siva Subramanian (Buntong), together with representatives from trade unions and NGOs, gathered outside the Perak Federal Building this morning to fire the first salvo of protest on behalf of Malaysians at the hefty and unconscionable increase of oil prices yesterday.

The half-hour protest went off smoothly, with Kula, Su, Sivanesan, Chen and myself speaking briefly on the protest.

In Kuala Lumpur, a similar protest, attended by five DAP Federal Territory MPs (Dr. Tan Seng Giaw, Fong Kui Lun, Tan Kok Wai, Teresa Kok, Lim Lip Eng), Manogaran (MP – Teluk Intan) and Selangor DAP State Assemblywoman Jenice Lee Ying Ha (Teratai), was held at the Pudu Market, Jalan Pasar.

Excerpts of my remarks at the Ipoh Protest this morning:

The sudden hefty oil price increases – 40.6 per cent and 63.3 per cent increase in pump petrol price and diesel price respectively – creating a seven-hour nation-wide chaos is an outrage as it is most unconscionable, unjustifiable and deplorable reflecting poorly on good governance in Malaysia especially after ministerial undertaking that there would be no changes until August.

The introduction of annual cash rebate of RM625 to those who own cars of 2,000 cc and below, and pick-up trucks and jeeps of 2,500 cc and below, and cash rebate of RM150 a year for owners of motor-cycles of 250 cc and below, as well as road tax discounts, will not be able to fully cushion the low and middle-income Malaysians from the inflationary spiral which would be unleashed by the greatest hike in oil prices in the nation’s history.

Equally of concern will be the deterioration of the public safety index, with the expected worsening of the crime situation which has already become an endemic problem causing Malaysians, tourists and investors to fear for their personal safety, their loved ones and the safety of property as well! Continue reading “PM should seek Parliament approval on June 23 for hefty oil price increases”

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Questions for Parliament (2nd meeting) late June

Among the questions I have submitted for the second meeting of the 12th Parliament beginning on 23rd June 2008 are:

1. To ask the Prime Minister why a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants of Sabah has not been established as all government efforts to deal with it has proved to be ineffective and unsatisfactory.

2. To ask the Prime Minister what steps he has taken to promote the Bangsa Malaysia objective of Vision 2020 in the face of worsening racial polarisation with greater communal clamour for “ketuanan Melayu” and “kedaulatan Melayu”.

3. To ask the Prime Minister whether he proposes to introduce Prime Minister’s Question Time with regular personal appears in Parliament to answer questions, to set good example of parliamentary responsibility for all Cabinet Ministers?

4. To ask the Prime Minister to list and give particulars of five projects undertaken by Petronas which had caused the greatest losses in its history and what remedial action had been taken in each case.

5. To ask the Prime Minister to list the proposals for electoral reform which had been submitted by the Election Commission after the March 2008 general election and the outcome of each proposal. Continue reading “Questions for Parliament (2nd meeting) late June”

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Good news for BMC controversy

During the debate on the last ministry – Home Ministry – on the 2007 Supplementary estimates in Parliament late yesterday evening, DAP MP for Serdang, Teo Nie Ching and I questioned police conduct in the Bandar Makhota Cheras (BMC) “thug and police violence” following public protest at the rebuilding of the barricade by the toll concessionaire, Grand Saga.on Tuesday night.

I had earlier met the Works Minister, Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed at the MPs’ lounge and I asked why his Ministry could not resolve the long-standing BMC access road issue.

Mohd Zin said he has a formula to resolve the issue which he would be bringing to the Cabinet today.

I understand there is good news for the long-suffering residents over the BMC controversy.

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“All we want is just that road”

DAP MP for Serdang, Teo Nie Ching failed in her attempt this morning to adjourn Parliament to debate as a definite matter of urgent public importance “the thug and police violence” against residents of Bandar Makhota Cheras (BMC) following the rebuilding of the barricade by the toll concessionaire, Grand Saga.

I spoke briefly at the gathering of BMC residents outside Parliament House this morning, where a long-standing BMC resident, “Mas”, recounted how she fractured her left arm during the “rampage” by thugs on Tuesday night when she and her two young children merely wanted to show support and solidarity for the cause to open the road for public use. (See YouTube)

Another group of BMC residents, together with DAP MPs including Nie Ching, Fong Kui Lun M. Kulasegaran and Lim Lip Eng (also present were Selangor State Exco members Ronnie Liu and Ean Yong Hian Wah) held a media conference at the Parliament lobby to condemn the violence perpetrated against the defenceless public, including press representatives as three were assaulted by the “samsengs” in the Tuesday night rampage.

This outrage must be placed on the agenda of the Cabinet meeting tomorrow for it raises the question whether the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has the political will to deliver his various promises of reform, whether judiciary, the battle against corruption or the police.

Was the Royal Police Commission, which was established when Abdullah first became Prime Minister more than four years ago, a complete waste of time and money when its recommendation to create an efficient, incorruptible and professional world-class police service proves to be such a mirage as highlighted by the “thug and police violence” at the BMC on Tuesday?

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Bandar Makhota Cheras violence and police connivance – public inquiry warranted

The use of thugs to assault residents of Bandar Makhota Cheras protesting against the barricade put up by the toll concessionaire, Grand Saga and the connivance of the police not only in its “hands-off” policy during the rampage by the thugs, but in going on a rampage of its own when some 20 police personnel armed assaulted an innocent bystander, Chang Jiun Haur, must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

An independent public inquiry into the spate of physical violence against the protesting public by thugs and police personnel is fully warranted.

DAP MP for Serdang, Teo Nie Ching will be raising the issue in Parliament tomorrow.

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Extension of Suu Kyi’s detention – Malaysia should lead ASEAN condemnation

During the committee stage debate of the Foreign Ministry in Parliament this morning, I called on the Malaysian government to lead the ASEAN condemnation of the Myanmar military junta for the extension of detention of Burmese Opposition Leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi has been incarcerated for more than 13 years in the past 18 years, with the present five-year detention going back to the Depayin Massacre in May 2003.

At the time, the Malaysian Foreign Minister was in the forefront in publicly calling for her immediate release and the then Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad had even warned that Myanmar might be suspended or expelled from ASEAN if the military junta continued to defy regional and international opinion.

The Myanmese military junta now appeared to have the upper hand, with no condemnation or protest from Malaysia or ASEAN for the extension of Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention, making a complete mockery of the ASEAN Charter and ASEAN’s “constructive engagement” policy with Myanmar to initiate democratization and national reconciliation in Burma, the reason given by Malaysia for spearheading Myanmar’s entry into ASEAN in 1997.

Together with the sham referendum on May 10 and May 24, held when the country was hard hit by the cyclone Nargis disaster, claiming over 100,000 dead, some 250,000 missing and over two million victims, just to legitimize the undemocratic regime of the Myanmar military junta, Malaysia and ASEAN should lead instead of straggling behind international pressure to demand greater democratic change in Burma.

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On “egg-shell” reputation and Parliament as “kangaroo court”

Seven years ago in December 2001, when Fong Po Kuan, as first-termer DAP MP for Batu Gajah, was suspended for six months without pay for publicly criticising the Speaker, I was in Europe.

I issued an immediate statement in London on Dec. 11, 2001 before the motion to penalise Po Kuan was debated and another statement on my return to Malaysia.

These two statements of December 2001 are reproduced below after the Malaysiakini report “Speaker warns Kit Siang over blog posting”: Continue reading “On “egg-shell” reputation and Parliament as “kangaroo court””

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Kiandee owes a public apology to Parliament, Sabah and the nation

In her Sunday Star parliamentary roundup “Lim stopped by Standing Orders” today, reporter Elizabeth Looi quoted Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee as confessing that he did not know whether I had spoken the truth in Parliament on Thursday when objecting to his decision to disallow my amendment to the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the three-decade long illegal immigrant problem in Sabah.

I had said that Kiandee had violated all parliamentary conventions, practices and precedents in Commonwealth Parliaments as well as the Malaysian Parliament in ruling my amendment motion as “irrelevant”, pointing out that I had previously amended a Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address in the Dewan Rakyat and which was debated and voted upon, though rejected.

Kiandee made the confession when interviewed by Sunday Star for the article, as evident in the following:

Kiandee defended the decision and said it was not in any way politically influenced.

He said he would not know if Lim was telling the truth when the latter said he had been allowed to table an amendment to a motion of thanks previously.

As Deputy Speaker, Kiandee should not have acted out of ignorance, as it could be no justification for violating established parliamentary conventions, practices and precedents in Commonwealth Parliaments and the Malaysian Parliament itself, which could easily be checked whether what I had said was true.

I was not “stopped by Standing Orders” but by Kiandee who misused and abused the Standing Orders.

I had amended such a Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address in the Dewan Rakyat on 12th October 1982 and it was voted and rejected on 13th October 1982! Continue reading “Kiandee owes a public apology to Parliament, Sabah and the nation”

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Don’t make Malaysian Parliament a laughing-stock at Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in KL in August

(Media Conference Statement at Perak DAP Hqrs in Ipoh on Saturday, 24th May 2008)

The 54th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference on “Expanding the role of Parliament in Global Society” will be held in Kuala Lumpur from August 1 to 10, 2008 and it should be a matter of pride to Malaysian Members of Parliament that the country has been given the honour to play host to the annual conference for the Commonwealth’s 172 Parliaments and legislatures.

Malaysia spent about RM7 million to host a much smaller parliamentary conference last year – the 28th Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in Kuala Lumpur last August involving nine ASEAN nations.

The cost for hosting the 54th Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association will be many times more than organising the AIPA Assemby and I will ask in Parliament on Monday how much the Malaysian taxpayers will have to bear for Malaysia hosting the August Conference – whether RM20 – RM30 million or even more.

Apart from the cost of the CPA Conference in August, another equally important question is its purpose.

This is because it would be shameful for Malaysia to host the 54th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference on “Expanding the role of Parliament in global society” on August 1 – 10 when the role of Malaysian MPs are being diminished and cannot even move an amendment to the Motion of Thanks for Royal Address, as happened on Thursday when my amendment motion to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry to resolve the 30-year problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah was disallowed by the Deputy Speaker, Datuk Ronald Kiandee on the ground of being “irrelevant” to the motion proper.

Can Ronald Kiandee cite another Commonwealth Parliament which disallows amendments to the equivalent of Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address on the ground that it is “irrelevant”? Continue reading “Don’t make Malaysian Parliament a laughing-stock at Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in KL in August”

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Indelible ink scandal – spunky scrutiny-in-progress by Po Kuan

Together with other Pakatan Rakyat MPs, DAP MP for Batu Gajah
Fong Po Kuan grilled Nazri Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for the RM2.4 million indelible ink scandal by the Election Commission in the 12th general election.

Po Kuan has blogged about her spunky scrutiny-in-progress, as evident from the two video clips here.

This parliamentary episode is reported by New Straits Times parliamentary report:

Spunky Scrutiny – Part 1 :

Spunky Scrutiny – Part 2 :
Continue reading “Indelible ink scandal – spunky scrutiny-in-progress by Po Kuan”

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May 22, 2008 – Sad Day for Sabah (In video and Hansard)

This is the video clip and Hansard extract of the parliamentary proceeding yesterday – another sad day for Sabah.

It could be the day for redemption for Sabah, the first step in the realisation of the 30-year dream of Sabahans to end the nightmare of illegal immigrants which have made them and future generations strangers in their own state.

Apologies for the defect in the video clip of the parliamentary proceeding yesterday on the rejection of my amendment to the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to resolve the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah.

It is now uploaded together with the Hansard (official parliamentary report).


Continue reading “May 22, 2008 – Sad Day for Sabah (In video and Hansard)”

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RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah – substantive motion to overrule Robert Kiandee’s decision

I have faxed notice to the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin to move a substantive motion to review and overrule the decision of Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee in disallowing me from moving an amendment to the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address yesterday in order to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 30-year problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah, reducing Sabahans into a minority in their own homeland.

My substantive motion reads:

“That under Standing Order 43 the House reviews the decision of Deputy Speaker YB Datuk Ronald Kandee in disallowing MP for Ipoh Timor YB Lim Kit Siang from moving an amendment to the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address on Thursday, 22nd May 2008 and resolves that the decision of the Chair was wrong and misconceived as it is contrary to parliamentary conventions and practices in Malaysia and the Commonwealth.”

As a substantive motion under S.O. 43 shall not require more than two days’ notice, this means that it should be able to be debated by the Dewan Rakyat next week.

In the first parliamentary meeting after the 1982 general election, the first of the five general elections under the premiership of Tun Dr. Mahathir, I had moved an amendment to the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address in the Dewan Rakyat on 12th October 1982.

The amendment, adding to to the Motion of Thanks, was to include the following:

“And noting the grave law and order problem created by the influx of illegal Indonesian illegal immigrants causing armed robberies and murders, URGES the government to crack down on the illegal Indonesian immigrants by estsblishing a Special Task Force III (Indonesian Illegal Immigrants) to stop the influx of illegal Indonesian immigrants.”

The amending motion to the Motion of Thanks was accepted by the Speaker at the time, Datuk Mohamed Zahir Ismail, who went on to be the longest-serving Parliament Speaker for 22 years from 1982 to 2004.

The amending motion was defeated in a voice vote on 13rd October 1982 after a debate. Continue reading “RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah – substantive motion to overrule Robert Kiandee’s decision”

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Motion to establish RCI on Sabah illegal immigrants sabotaged

The amendment motion in Parliament to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry to realize the three-decade dream of the people of Sabah to end their nightmare of the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants in the state was sabotaged when it was disallowed on the most flippant and unacceptable of grounds.

I had sought to move the amendment to the Motion of Thanks in Parliament by proposing the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah at the end of the winding-up speeches by all the Ministers, which was about 6.30 p.m., but the Deputy Speaker Ronald Kiandee disallowed it on the ground that it was irrelevant.

How could the long-standing and intractable 30-year problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah be irrelevant to what should be the policy concerns of the Federal government for the next 12 months – which in a nutshell is what the Royal Address is all about.

I had previously moved an amendment to a Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address which is the conventional and acceptable practice in all Commonwealth Parliaments as it is an opportunity for a policy debate and resolution – but the Malaysian Parliament is regressing backwards instead of striking forward to become a First-World Parliament.

I feel sad at the shocking disallowance of the amending motion for it also sends out the message that after 30 years, the primary concern of Sabahans – the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah – is still not taken seriously at the national level and merely treated as a peripheral issue!

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Motion on RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah – likely tomorrow

It is now 10.30 p.m.

Waiting in Parliament for the whole day – second one – for the end of the front-bench speeches in the Ministerial winding-up to move the amendment to the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address to propose the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the long-standing and intractable illegal immigrant problem in Sabah.

The Minister for Housing and Local Government, Ong Ka Chuan, is replying. I stood up to remark that it was all “a political sandiwara” when he replied to the MP for Kulai who is not only his brother but was the Housing and Local Government Minister (Ong Ka Ting) and should have the answers on his fingertips as the Minister responsible for the portfolio for two terms.

There are still two more Ministries before coming to the Prime Minister’s Department, which has four Ministers who should be replying individually on their respective portfolios.

Do not expect the ministerial winding-up to end by midnight – which means my amendment motion for the establishment of a RCI on the illegal immigrants in Sabah will be deferred until tomorrow.

More time for Sabahans and concerned Malaysians to contact MPs, particularly the Sabah Barisan Nasional MPs, to support the amendment motion to bring into being a Royal Commission of Inquiry to resolve the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah and fulfil their dream of Sabahans for three decades to end their nightmare in the state.