Pakatan trio face six-month suspension

The federal government has recommended the suspension of three opposition members for releasing embargoed information on the probe involving opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.According to the Order Paper for today, the motion by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department is scheduled to be tabled against Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor), R Sivarasa (PKR-Subang) and Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) for violating Standing Order 85.This regulation states that any statement recorded in front of Rights and Privileges Committee must be embargoed until the decision is tabled before the Dewan Rakyat.

"On Dec 6, the MP from Gombak through an emergency motion under Standing Order 18(1) touched on the statements and letter that was presented to the rights and privileges committee on Dec 3," reads the Order Paper."The MPs from Bukit Gelugor and Subang had insulted and violated the rights and privileges of a member of parliament. It is also a insult to the House." It was argued that Karpal and Sivarasa , both members of the bipartisan committee, had had violated the Standing Orders based on Azmin's motion to question the committee's intentions to suspend Anwar from the Dewan Rakyat without calling for his defence.

Yesterday, Karpal claimed that the committee had tabled its majority report to the Dewan Rakyat, which called for Anwar to be suspended from Parliament for six months. He was alleged to have mislead the House by claiming that public relations firm Apco Worldwide - said to be the chief architect of the Najib administration's 1Malaysia campaign - had a hand in former Israeli premier Ehud Barak's 'One Israel' initiative. Karpal and Sivarasa had walked out of the committee's meeting on Dec 3 to protest the manner in which investigations were being performed.

Following this, they held a press conference alleging that the committee was basing their investigation solely on correspondence from Apco Worldwide and the Hansard. Azmin is accused of disclosing details of the Dec 3 meeting of rights and privileges committee on Dec 6.

Suspicious timing

At the proceedings this morning, Azmin demanded to know why his name was included in the motion without prior notice. Citing Standing Order 27(3), Azmin said that he should have been given at least seven days notice before the suspension is moved unless the speaker deems it is necessary to push for expulsion based on the minister's explanation. However, speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia shot him down and said that he is satisfied with the minister's brief on the matter.

“At least refer me to the rights and privileges committee to defend myself... all these rights denied totally,” argued Azmin.Refusing to abide by Pandikar's orders to take his seat, Azmin was sent out of the House until 2.30pm.Met outside the House, Sivarasa said that the timing of the suspension motion was suspicious as he and Karpal had just submitted their minority report on the committee's findings. “Why wasn't the motion submitted together with Anwar's? This suggests that this was an afterthought that came after we put in the minority report. If this is the case it is mala fide,” he claimed.

Bid to regain two-thirds majority

Meanwhile, the opposition has accused the ruling coalition of seeking to regain its two-thirds majority in Parliament through the suspension of the four MPs."By suspending four Pakatan MPs, BN shall also get the five independent MPs to get simple 2/3 majority," said ousted Perak menteri besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, who is also Bukit Gantang MP.According to Nizar, the BN is using this backdoor method of regaining two-thirds majority so as to push through the redrawing of the electoral boundaries to favour the ruling coalition. "They can even delineate, (and) add new seats from Sabah, Sarawak."

Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/150843