Tajuddin may get the stick

Malay Mail (28/11/08): Psychoanalysts say overreaction is a trait exhibited by children. But if you follow this argument, then you would be at a loss trying to explain the behaviour of our politicians, some of whom are, figuratively speaking, older than the hills.

When children misbehave or conduct themselves badly, adults advise or chide them to try to get them to mend their ways. Most grow out of their difficult years, but some of our politicians, unfortunately, may still be children trapped in adults’ bodies.

Whether he is one of them is subject to debate, but one thing is for sure: Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir Salak) is ultra-stubborn.

Having earned many colourful nicknames, among them keturunan lanun (descendent of pirates), from his peers and foes alike, Tajuddin, who came under heavy fire for uttering the word "b******" in parliament recently, yet again showed his defiance to calls for gentlemanly conduct in the august house.

Repeatedly warned by speakers and deputy speakers in the past for his penchant for vulgarities and crude behaviour, the menacing parliamentarian yesterday remained true to form as he raised his voice, volleyed abuses interjected with sexual innuendos.

It was too much to bear, even among his Barisan Nasional colleagues, as both backbenchers and opposition rallied to keep such unparliamentary behaviour out of the House.

This prompted Deputy Speaker Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar to announce that a decision would be made against Tajuddin for uttering remarks deemed suggestive in nature to Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa (Pas-Parit Buntar) in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday.

Noting that some MPs had gone overboard in using harsh language and unparliamentary words, Wan Junaidi said he would discuss with his colleague Datuk Ronald Kiandee, the Deputy Speaker in charge on Wednesday, and Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia before making a ruling.

"I was not in the House at that time. I did not watch the proceedings on the monitor and was not aware of what had happened. But I have been informed about it. And I feel sad that this has been done by an MP," Wan Junaidi said.

"However, I can’t make a decision in haste. I will discuss it with Kiandee. But, from the information I received, it was indeed disappointing that such words were used," he said, adding he would also check the Hansard.

Earlier, Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) said that Tajuddin had used sexually offensive language against Dr Mujahid when he (Mujahid) was debating a motion tabled by Teo Nie Ching (DAP-Serdang).

"Pasir Salak has always been using harsh words. Yesterday (Wednesday), he insulted another race. And then, he used words which berbau lucah (have sexual connotations). How can we let him repeatedly tarnish the (reputation of) Parliament? Stern action must be taken against him," said Fong.

"Why does he continuously insult the Dewan and the MPs and gets away scot-free? Please make a decision to protect the good name of the Dewan."

Fong was supported by M. Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat), who called for Tajuddin to be suspended from the Dewan under Article 26(1)(h) of the Standing Order.

He said if action was not taken against Tajuddin, the House would be practising double standards because when "Gobind Singh Deo (DAP-Puchong) used disrespectful words and he was thrown out," Kulasegaran said.

Chong Chieng Jen (DAP-Bandar Kuching) said he witnessed the incident on Wednesday and saw Kiandee "shaking his head in disgust".

"What Tajuddin did was humiliating."

Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing (BN-Tuaran), who supported the call, said BN MPs also viewed the matter seriously. As a long-term MP, he felt the MP must be of a "higher standard" and uphold their dignity.

The episode unfolded on Wednesday during a motion to dock RM10 from Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein’s salary when it turned into a shouting match with Tajuddin calling Kulasegaran "k*****".

Opposition MPs demanded Tajuddin immediately withdraw the derogatory term, with Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) protesting to Kiandee that Tajuddin was up to his offensive name-calling tricks again and deserved a strong telling off. Kiandee agreed and asked Tajuddin to withdraw his inflammatory word.

"I don’t want to. Why is he (Kulasegaran) allowed to say anything he wants? He is the one who’s kurang ajar (uncouth)," said the unfazed Tajuddin, which earned him a reprimand from Kiandee and a rebuke from Datuk Muhammad Aziz (BN-Sri Gading).

Tajuddin withdrew the derogatory word he hurled at Kulasegaran but the peace was only momentary.

A short while later, while Azmin was following-up on the RM10 ringgit motion against Hishammuddin, Tajuddin sprang to his feet and interjected Azmin’s criticism as biol (stupid).

Azmin blurted out his annoyance: "This is too much. If it is only once or twice, it is forgivable, but everytime he opens his mouth, he has no respect for anyone."

After prompting Kiandee to order a withdrawal, Tajuddin retracted but showed no remorse.

"OK la, the good, smart... and interesting YB Gombak. I withdraw the word biol," he said.

The altercations overshadowed the sexual innuendoes he earlier uttered while Dr Mujahid was speaking.

This had not escaped Yong’s attention as she yesterday expressed her disgust with Tajuddin’s suggestive remarks.

"His actions have affected the name of Parliament. Before this, he had used abusive words and this had hurt the people's sentiment. Are you going to allow him to repeatedly abuse the sanctity of Parliament?" she asked.

During the entire speech by Dr Mujahid, Tajuddin kept interrupting to be allowed to interject, uttering remarks like masuk, tak masuk lagi, tak bagi masuk, main tepi saja, bila nak keluar air dia!

And Dr Mujahid, innocently kept saying tunggulah, nantilah and sabar lah, belum lagi.

Tan Lian Hoe attacked by BN colleague

Courtesy of Media Rakyat

Fracas in Parliament

Courtesy of Darul Bayan

Witty repartee doesn’t always translate to good debate

The Edge Daily (2/6/08): Some people expected the quality of debates in parliament to improve with more opposition members of parliament (MPs) to watch over the government. Undeniably, the Dewan Rakyat has become more interesting - but it is difficult to tell if the quality of debates has improved.

The first day of parliament was already marred by boyish antics from both the government and opposition camps. In a heated exchange over some technicalities, Karpal Singh (Bukit Gelugor-DAP) labelled Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan-BN) as “bigfoot”, and the latter responded in kind by calling Karpal “big monkey”.

Although such incidents are not unusual in the Dewan Rakyat, the matter was compounded by the fact that the first half hour of the parliament session was telecast live for the first time nationwide.

Some consider this as entertainment which one can expect from parliament, while others feel embarrassed, so much so that the Information Ministry threatened to stop the live telecast. In the end, the government decided to proceed with the broadcast.

However, the opposition has continuously engaged the government in name-calling and mud-slinging throughout the sessions.

Be that as it may, there was a lot of creativity flowing from the ranks of Pakatan Rakyat, especially Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Azmin Ali (Gombak-PKR), who made a memorable remark in one of his speeches.

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin (Rembau-BN), he said: “Since when does Umno care about “ketuanan Melayu” (Malay supremacy), when all this while it only practised “ketuanan menantu” (son-in-law’s supremacy)?”

When it came to Khairy’s turn to speak, the Umno Youth deputy chief tried to get his revenge by sowing the seed of disunity in the opposition camp, targeted at staunchly Islamic PAS MPs, by playing up the pig farm issue in Selangor.

He also said Pakatan Rakyat was just a “public relations” stunt among parties with different ideologies to pull wool over people’s eyes.

Calling PAS a “junior partner” in Pakatan Rakyat, he claimed that the PKR-led Selangor state government was giving more priority to “Projek Khinzir Raksasa” (mammoth pig project), which is a play on the acronym “PKR”.

Khairy’s remarks managed to rile up several PAS MPs, who pointed out that the project was actually approved by the previous state government led by Umno.

Not to be outdone by Khairy, Mahfuz Omar (Pokok Sena-PAS) said it was actually “Projek Babi Negara” (National Pig Project), which is a twist on the Barisan Nasional’s acronym.

Khairy appeared to be a favourite target of the opposition’s stinging attacks, as DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang (Ipoh Timur-DAP) had earlier called him the “richest unemployed in the world” for being able to acquire and sell a lot of shares in ECM Libra.

Lim also challenged Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir (Jerlun-BN), who is the youngest son of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, to answer on his father’s behalf.

“Isn’t Dr Mahathir’s administration known for KKN? Does the honourable Jerlun MP know what KKN is? The first K stands for kronisme (cronyism), the second K for korupsi (corruption) and the N for nepotisme (nepotism),” he said.

Even the demure Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (Permatang Pauh-PKR) displayed her mettle as an Opposition Leader in the debate on the motion of thanks on the royal address, by hurling various accusations against the government.

She tried to implicate Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also the defence minister, by alleging corruption in the procurement of military equipment, such as Scorpene submarines and Sukhoi fighter jets.

Najib also hogged the limelight as popular blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin was charged with sedition for his article, which contained allegations linking the deputy prime minister and his wife to the murder of Altantuya Shaaribuu.

Despite the prevalence of playground antics, the Dewan Rakyat still managed to hear an array of issues of public interest, ranging from food security to highway concessions.

While it is heartening to note that many MPs took the opportunity to raise many issues while debating the motion of thanks on the royal address, their skills on real policy matters are not really tested this round.

The real occasion for law-making only came in the fourth week when they debated the Supplementary Supply Bill and the Pensions (Amendments) Bill. Alas, the two bills had to be rushed through the Dewan Rakyat.

In a nutshell, it is still too early to tell whether parliamentary debates are better now, as mud-slinging and name-calling seem to have moved to a new level.

On a more positive note, the government is trying to become more responsive to certain issues judging from certain pronouncements made in parliament. Some BN MPs are also becoming more vocal on issues such as minority rights, corruption and independence of the judiciary.

For example, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has even been accused by some backbenchers from his own camp of being “an opposition minister” and “realising the opposition’s manifesto” for his plans to reform the judiciary.

The government also announced that it would consider taking over highway concessions or review the toll charges to reduce the financial burden on the people.

In fact, Abdullah himself was seen sitting in the Dewan Rakyat to observe parliamentary proceedings until as late as 11pm on one occasion.

At the end of the day, regardless of the quality of debates in parliament, the more important objective of parliamentary democracy is to ensure that the government is honest and responsive.

First session of Parliament concludes with many changes

NST (1/6/08): The first session of the 12th Parliament opened on April 28 with many changes. Various quarters are relieved that the 16-day session ended on Thursday before resuming in June.

It was punctuated with high drama, surprises and antics from the MPs, of whom 99 were first-time legislators.

Many opposition and government MPs fought for the opportunity to drive home their points during debates, probably prompted by the live telecasts of them beamed by RTM1 for 30 minutes.

The first session attracted a lot of attention because the Barisan Nasional (BN) was returned to power in the March 8 general election with only a simple majority winning 140 seats with the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), DAP and PAS grabbing 81 seats while another seat went to an Independent candidate.

With a bigger opposition bench, Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and his deputies, Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and Datuk Ronald Kiandee, faced a daunting task in dealing with the point of order raised time and again by MPs on the first day of the question and answer session.

Eventually, only three questions could be answered by the government during the question time before it moved on with the debate on the royal address.

"This is because everybody wants to be on television,” was Datuk Ibrahim Ali’s (Independent-Pasir Mas) take on what happened.

Ibrahim was also chided by Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) for not wearing a lounge suit as required during the swearing-in ceremony.

However, Pandikar said the ruling did not apply to Ibrahim as an Independent MP he did not have a Chief Whip to remind him.

Ibrahim quipped, “Congratulations, Speaker sir, you are a learned man.”

Datuk Anifah Aman (BN-Kimanis) and Abdul Ghapur also warned BN leaders that the political tsunami experienced by the coalition in the general election would become even worse for it if the problems faced by Sabahans were not dealt with.

"It does not mean that when we champion the aspirations of the people, we are going against the government. It does not mean that when use strong words we want to jump ship. What we are telling the Dewan, the people of Sabah will not jump ship like in five states in the peninsula,” said Anifah.

In another breath, he said it was not impossible to “move from a bungalow to a terrace house if you are given enough space. Never mind a terrace house if you are accorded the same facilities but in a bungalow you are made to sleep beside the toilet,” he said in referring to the raw deal Sabahans were getting from the federal government.

Talk that some BN MPs from Sabah would jump ship became rife after PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had time and again expounded that the opposition would form the government with the defection of disgruntled BN MPs from Sabah.

Speaking to the press outside the Dewan Rakyat, Abdul Rahman Dahalan (BN-Kota Belud) lent weight to the talk by saying that he was offered benefits which could last three generations if he were to defect to PKR.

He lodged reports with the Anti-Corruption Agency in Sabah and Kuala Lumpur.

The Dewan Rakyat sitting also saw both BN and opposition MPs trading inauspicious remarks like `Projek Babi Negara’ by Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) when he reacted to Khairy Jamaluddin’s (BN-Rembau) insinuation on PKR accronym as “Projek Khinzir Raksasa”. At another time, the Dewan Rakyat was interrupted for 10 minutes when Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Haron said a Tamil word `ukkar’ (sit down) but some MPs said it could become a vulgar word if wrongly pronounced.

N. Gobalakrishnan (PKR-Padang Serai) was reproached when he approached the speaker’s bench and whispered the meaning of the word to him.

On another occasion, Gobalakrishnan brought P Waythamoorthy’s six-year-old daughter to Parliament’s lobby to celebrate her birthday.

Waythamoorthy is one of the leaders of the Hindraf organisation and is on self-imposed exile overseas following the detention of five of its other leaders under the Internal Security Act.

Ibrahim, meanwhile, had the misfortune of being mobbed in Parliament’s lobby by about 30 disabled people who took exception to his remarks against wheelchair-bound Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) for not standing up when raising a point of order.

On seeing this, Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan,) who is also the Backbencher’s Club deputy chairman, pointed out the need to tighten security in the Dewan Rakyat.

Unlike before, Parliament’s car park was full during the session while the media centre was crowded as more reporters were assigned to cover the developments at the august house.

As for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, they were seen working at their offices at the Dewan Rakyat when their presence was not required.

On Wednesday, for the first time, a supply bill was approved through block voting - 92 Barisan Nasional MPs voted in favour of the bill, 60 opposition MPs voted against it while another did not cast his vote.

The Supplementary Supply Bill 2008 (2007) on the provision to the statutory fund an amount of RM16.810 billion was earlier debated at the committee stage.

The decision to call for block voting caused many MPs including Abdullah and Najib to rush into the Dewan Rakyat when the bell was rang.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz was also seen calling the MPs to come back to the house.

When Wan Junaidi announced that a lone MP did not register his vote, many MPs turned their heads towards Ibrahim Ali.

Several opposition MPs quipped that they might be lucky the next time. (Ahmad Shukran Shaharuddin - Bernama)

Oratorial slugfest in the House

Malay Mail (28/5/08): Some senior members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association attended Question Time yesterday, and were, as a result, treated to a display of oratorical fisticuffs that threw the House into complete mayhem.

Nasir Zakaria (Pas-Padang Terap) got things moving with a question to Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Harun (BN-Tangga Batu) about why a certain university vice-chancellor’s contract had been reduced to six months from three years.

Idris evaded the question with a long exposition on university rankings and an appeal to what he called the “Time Highway, err, no.

The Time Higher Education Supplement.” His incessant dissembling put Nasir in a frenzy, and the normally taciturn Nasir rose to interrupt.

For reasons best known to himself, Idris then chose to respond with something sounding like “okka”, which most in the House (including Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia) could not make out with any certainty.

Not so N. Gobalakrishnan (PKR-Padang Serai), who rose with M. Kulasegaran (DAPIpoh Barat) to demand an immediate retraction. Idris, however, maintained that the word was “okkarengge”, the Tamil expression for “kindly be seated”.

Gobalakrishnan maintained it was something else entirely — a gutter vulgarity, in fact — and responded with fury.

The usual harpy-screeching then erupted on both sides, prompting Pandikar Amin’s acid remark that there were three minutes left of the live telecast.

But Gobalakrishnan’s rage had reached boiling-point by then, rendering him deaf and blind to the noble efforts of Opposition frontbencher Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman (Pas-Pengkalan Chepa) to rescue the proceedings.

The impetuous blunderer would not be dissuaded from his ill-advised personal crusade to bring justice to the House. Faced with an increasing number of government backbenchers rising to meet his ranting, and inspired perhaps by a prepubescent yearning for attention, the first-term MP left his seat and walked up to Pandikar to whisper in his ear.

Tramping up with swaying arms, he failed to see his leader Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR-Permatang Pauh) waving frantically at him to abandon his Perry Mason theatrics, and an outraged Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan)- for once with Parliamentary rule of order on his side - rose to demand Gobalakrishnan’s immediate suspension from the House.

“An incident such as this has never occurred here,” he declared.

“And this is not a House of ruffians. I ask that my honourable friends support me.” The entire Government bench rose immediately amidst some high-pitched hooting, and order was reimposed only when PKR Chief Whip Mohd Azmin Ali (PKRGombak) restored a measure of dignity to his party by obliging his junior to apologise.

Gobalakrishnan duly complied, admitting to being unaware of the rules of the House. Later in the lobby, however, he maintained that he saw nothing reprehensible about his conduct, and that Pandikar Amin and he enjoyed the relationship of a “father and son”.

With the end of that episode, members generally lost whatever fire they had. Bung Mokhtar, in an uncharacteristic demonstration of environmentalist speechifying, rose during the debate on the Supplementary Supply Bill to champion the cause of recycling.

Things returned to “normal” briefly late in the day when Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir Salak) launched a surprise attack on de facto Law Minister Senator Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim, who named him last Saturday as among the government MPs who openly disagreed with the Prime Minister.

Tajuddin said he had been a Barisan supporter for over three decades, and accused Zaid in turn of going on a holiday abroad during the recent general elections.

He then spoilt the effect he was having by saying: “I would have told him this in the morning when he was here, but then he would have replied, wouldn’t he? Ha-ha.” (U-En Ng)

When Idris dropped a clanger

A television grab showing N. Gobalakrishnan (PKR-Padang Serai) whispering to Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia.

NST (28/5/08): A deputy minister who mispronounced a word in Tamil and an opposition MP who chastised him, found themselves in hot water yesterday.

Datuk Idris Haron's earlier mispronunciation didn't stop him from speaking Mandarin.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Haron, who thought he had said Okarenggeh (please sit down) using the right intonation, received an earful from Tamil-speaking MPs who thought he had uttered a four-letter word.

He was also reprimanded by Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia.

N. Gobalakrishnan (PKR-Padang Serai), who raised the issue, found himself on the wrong end of the stick shortly after walking up to Pandikar Amin to whisper the word into his ear.

The Speaker was forced to take him to task after Barisan Nasional MPs charged that the act amounted to disrespect to the chair.

Gopalakrishnan, who apologised after being told to do so by opposition whip, Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak), however, told reporters later that he had walked up to the chair "after the speaker had indicated that he wanted to speak to me".

The 20-minute drama could not have occurred at a worse moment as a group of women and three representatives from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association were watching the proceedings.

It began when Idris resorted to Tamil in order to get Mohd Nasir Zakaria (Pas-Padang Terap) to sit after several attempts at interrupting the former's speech.

However, the way Idris pronounced the word sounded like a word that could mean "having sex" in Tamil.

Gobalakrishnan immediately protested, leading to at least 10 MPs from both sides of the political divide to support Idris or Gobalakrishnan.

Pandikar Amin had his hands full as he tried to calm the situation and figure out if Idris had indeed uttered an unparliamentary word.

"Yang Berhormat. Please sit. How can I make a decision when I don't understand what was being said? The deputy minister said something, but I don't know in what language. I've asked Gobalakrishnan to repeat it, but he refused."

M. Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) chastised Idris, saying that he shouldn't have said the word if he did not know how to pronounce it.

An unrepentant Idris told Kulasegaran to zuo xia (seat down) in Mandarin before challenging the Opposition MPs, particularly Gobalakrishnan, to pronounce the word correctly.

Pandikar Amin advised MPs again to not use unparliamentary words in the House.

"How many times do I have to remind all of you, including ministers. I remind you all the time, but you all repeat it after two or three hours. You understand what I'm trying to say?" he said.

Idris tried to defend himself by saying he meant to ask the Padang Terap MP to sit down.

A bemused Pandikar Amin said that since no one wanted to enlighten him on what Idris was believed to have said, he would have to seek help from outside the chamber.

At this juncture, Gobalakrishnan walked to the chair and whispered to Pandikar Amin.

Gobalakrishnan's action sparked a protest from backbenchers including Datuk Bung Mukhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan), Salleh Kalbi (BN-Silam), Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (BN-Bintulu) and Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi (BN-Batu Pahat).

PKR MP creates an uproar

The Star (28/5/08): A PKR MP caused an uproar in the Dewan when he walked up to the Speaker to explain to him the meaning of a Tamil word in the midst of a shouting match during Question Time.

N. Gobalakrishnan (Padang Serai) made the impromptu move after Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia told the House that he did not understand the Tamil word in question and would have to ask someone outside before making a ruling.

Gobalakrishnan and M. Kulasegaran (DAP – Ipoh Barat) had been embroiled in a heated exchange with Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Haron who had apparently used a Tamil word which the two said was unparliamentary.

They pressed for Idris to retract the word.

When the Speaker said he would need to ask someone what the word meant, Gobalakrishnan left his seat and walked to Pandikar Amin amidst shouts of: “Oi, what are you trying to do? Biadab, biadab (rude, rude).”

Impromptu act: Gobalakrishnan stepping up to Pandikar Amin to explain the meaning of the Tamil word uttered by Idris to Mohd Nasir Zakaria of PAS.

Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN - Kinabatangan) then cited the Standing Orders to refer Gobalakrishnan to the Committee of Privileges for being rude, saying that such a thing had never happened in the House before.

When PKR chief whip Azmin Ali (PKR - Gombak) said he would ensure that such an incident would not be repeated, Gobala krishnan said:

“I apologise for my act, I did not realise (that I was not supposed to do that). Thank you”.

At the lobby, Gobalakrishnan maintained that he heard Idris saying a foul word to Mohd Nasir Zakaria (PAS-Padang Terap) but Idris replied he had meant to say a word which means “to sit” in Tamil, which he had learnt from an Indian friend.

Both words are close in their pronunciation.

Gobala apologises for 'lunging' at Speaker

The Sun (27/5/08): N. Gobalakrisnan (PKR-Padang Serai) today apologised in Parliament for "lunging" at the Speaker to whisper the meaning of a Tamil word which he claimed a Barisan Nasional MP had used on him.

Earlier, newbie Gobalakrishnan asked Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to make a decision against Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Harun for uttering an unparliamentary word in Tamil.

"That's a vulgar word," he said after Idris muttered something in Tamil during question time while he was replying to a supplementary question from Mohd Nasir Zakaria (PAS-Padang Terap).

However, Pandikar Amin said he did not understand what was uttered and Gobalakrishnan also did not want to fill him in.

M. Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) interjected saying Idris should not say the word if he could not pronounce it properly, saying it was a very offensive language.

Idris then told Pandikar Amin the word he used was "sit down" or "wokarengeh" in Tamil but Kulasegaran insisted it was not that and Gobalakrishnan called for a point of order, saying rude words are unparliamentary.

(The word may have been pronounced differently to sound like "wokurengeh" or "F***ing")

Gobalakrishnan wanted Idris to apologise and retract his word but Pandikar Amin said he cannot make a ruling only based on the former’s argument as he himself does not understand the meaning of the word.

"I also cannot fully depend on you (Gobalakrishnan) so I will ask people outside the house," he said. At this point, Gobalakrishnan approached his chair and whispered something to his ears.

This was when BN MPs like Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (Bintulu), Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (Kinabatangan), Salleh Kalbi (Silam,) Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi (Batu Pahat) and Ismail Mohd Said (Kuala Krai) shouted to protest his action which they said was rude and unacceptable.

Pandikar Amin reminded them to behave as a Commonwealth Speaker was present in the House.

"When I reminded you not to use unparliamentary words, YB Padang Serai had to leave his seat and explain to me what the word is. Sooner or later we will become like other parliaments where the opposition and government reps were throwing shoes, books and chairs and Speakers were attacked.

"Thank God YB Padang Serai did not attack me. He just whispered to me. But next time, please don’t do that," he said.

Datuk Bung Moktar Radin then stood up, raising a point of order on Gobalakrishnan’s behaviour as he could have misled the House and called for him to be referred to the Committee of Privileges.

"I have been in the House for three terms but this is the first time that an MP does not know how to use House. He thinks this is a gangster House but no, this House has to be respected, this is a serious matter," he said.

This was followed by all BN MPs including the ministers standing up to show their support.

However this was not for long as Mohd Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) suddenly stood up and Pandikar Amin said he wanted to listen to him as he is the PKR chief whip.

Mohd Azmin said he has consulted party president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR-Permatang Pauh) and they have agreed that Gobalakrishnan should apologise and hoped it would not happen again in due respect of the House.

Gobalakrishnan then stood up and said: "Because of the weaknesses, I tender my apology as I did it unconsciously."

Havoc in Dewan over 'unparliamentary word'

The Star (27/5/08): N. Gobalakrishnan (PKR - Padang Serai) created “havoc” in the Dewan Rakyat Tuesday when he walked up to the Speaker to explain a Tamil word to the latter by whispering to him during a shouting match which took place during Question Time.

He made the impromptu move when Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia told the House that he could not understand the meaning of a Tamil word and would have to ask someone outside before making a ruling.

Gobalakrisnan and M. Kulasegaran (DAP - Ipoh Barat) had asked Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Haron to retract a Tamil word he said, where the two claimed it was unparliamentary.

This prompted Gobalakrishan to leave his seat and walked to Pandikar Amin amidst shouts of: “Ooi, what are you trying to do? Biadap. Biadap” while Opposition Leader Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was waving at Gobalakrishnan in an attempt to stop him.

PKR chief whip Azmin Ali (PKR - Gombak) turned around and pointed at Gobalakrishan when he was walking back to his seat.

Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN - Kinabatangan) then stood up to cite the Standing Orders to refer Gobalakrishnan to committee of privileges for being rude and not in accordance with the Standing Order, saying that such a thing had never happened in the house before.

Bung’s suggestion had the support from all Barisan Nasional MPs, including some ministers and deputy ministers present in the Dewan, who stood up to show their support.

Azmin then stood up to ask Gobalakrishnan to apologise to the house and ensure it that such an incident would not happen again.

“I apologise for my act for not realising it (was not something I was supposed to do). Thank you,” he said.

Pandikar Amin also reminded the house, including ministers who were replying their questions, not to use unparliamentary words.

At the lobby, Gobalakrishnan maintained that he heard Idris saying a foul word but Idris said he meant "sit down" in Tamil, which he learned from an Indian friend.

Both words were close in their pronounciation.

Dr Wan Azizah said Gobalakrishnan could have written a note to send to the Speaker instead of approaching the Speaker himself.

“This is my third term here and I have never seen this before,” said Dr Wan Azizah, adding that Gobalakrishnan probably had wanted to explain the foul word to the Speaker in private but it was against parliamentary etiquette.

Use of Tamil word causes Dewan Rakyat to descend into chaos

Bernama (27/5/08): The Tamil word "ukker" (sit) used by Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Haron in asking Mohd Nasir Zakaria (PAS-Padang Terap) to sit down and not interrupt him while he was speaking caused the Dewan Rakyat to descend into chaos, Tuesday.

Unhappy the word was uttered, N.Gobalakrishnan (PKR-Padang Serai) approached Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to whisper to him that the word had sexual conotations if not pronounced properly.

His leaving his chair and approaching the Speaker got Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament (MPs) riled up and demanded that he apologise for not observing parliamentary decorum.

With Opposition MPs getting into the fray demanding an apology from Idris for uttering profanity in Parliament, the situation got out of hand until Pandikar Amin stepped in to calm things down.

Pandikar said he allowed Gobalakrishnan to approach him as he too wanted to find out what the word meant but told the MPs not to make it a habit (approach him). Curiousity got the better of some who asked what it meant but none of the Indian MPs was willing to say.

Idris also unhappy at how things turned out, then asked the Indian MPs to tell him how it should be pronounced and went on to use the Mandarin equivalent to drive home his point.

Things only settled down when PKR whip Mohamed Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) told Gobalakrishnan to apologise and urged all parties to refrain from "causing unnecessary incidents in the august House".

Commotion over use of Tamil word ‘ukker’

NST (27/5/08): The Tamil word “ukker” (sit) used by Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Haron in asking Mohd Nasir Zakaria (PAS-Padang Terap) to sit down and not interrupt him while he was speaking caused the Dewan Rakyat to descend into chaos today.

Unhappy the word was uttered, N.Gobalakrishnan (PKR-Padang Serai) approached Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to whisper to him that the word had sexual connotations if not pronounced properly.

His leaving his chair and approaching the Speaker got Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament (MPs) riled up and demanded that he apologise for not observing parliamentary decorum.

With Opposition MPs getting into the fray demanding an apology from Idris for uttering profanity in Parliament, the situation got out of hand until Pandikar Amin stepped in to calm things down.

Pandikar said he allowed Gobalakrishnan to approach him as he too wanted to find out what the word meant but told the MPs not to make it a habit (approach him).

Curiousity got the better of some who asked what it meant but none of the Indian MPs was willing to say.

Idris also unhappy at how things turned out, then asked the Indian MPs to tell him how it should be pronounced and went on to use the Mandarin equivalent to drive home his point.

Things only settled down when PKR whip Mohamed Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) told Gobalakrishnan to apologise and urged all parties to refrain from “causing unnecessary incidents in the august House”. (Bernama)

Dewan Rakyat 30/04/2008 - The kick off

Media Rakyat

Parliament proceedings disrupted

The Star (30/4/08): Business got under way in the first proper sitting of Parliament on Wednesday.

In a fiery start, newly-appointed Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia had his hands full just trying to impose some semblance of sanity in a chaotic House, which for the first time, was almost equally divided between the Government and Opposition.

Two hours into the proceedings, the House had seen a succession of MPs - mainly from the Opposition block - standing up on the point of order on various issues, many Barisan MPs deemed “remeh” (trivial) ranging from the oath swearing ceremony to the sitting arrangement of Datuk Ibrahim Ali (Ind - Pasir Mas).

Pandikar Amin was - at various junctures - forced into cajoling the MPs to behave like “gentlemen and ladies” and get down to serious matters, only to be heckled by Gobind Singh Deo (DAP- Puchong) for “delaying” proceedings.

At one point, the Chair’s decision to disallow supplementary questions - for lack of time - saw the Opposition block erupt into protests, led by Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) accusing Pandikar Amin of “making a mockery”of the House.

“This has never happened before in history. It’s the right of MPs to ask supplementary questions,” he said.

Luckily, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was also present to take the first question and had been seen observing the proceedings with a smile, intervened to request to be fielded “one or two questions”.

At noon, the House was still bogged down in a wrangle of technical intepretations on various Standing Orders and house rules, and only three out of the 73 questions had managed to be even fielded.

Ironically, it was Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) who stood up at one point to ask the Chair for the Opposition to be given the opportunity to ask more questions as they had more members than the backbenchers.

Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian) even threw in a last minute attempt to move a motion to discuss the terms of an agreement between federal government and Terengganu on oil royalties, which was dismissed by Pandikar Amin.

The Government block was out in full force on Wednesday, with attendance by many senior ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The session was also being televised live for the first time. However, the Information Ministry is now reviewing this, on the grounds that some MPs were taking the opportunity to play to the gallery.

The situation only got back to normal 10 minutes into noon when Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting (BN - Kulai) finally delivered the motion of thanks on the Royal Address.

Earlier, Pandikar Amin had only got down to formally announcing Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR - Permatang Pauh) as the Opposition Leader, when Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) interupted to say that the swearing in of MPs on Monday had not been valid as the oath-taking had not been “properly administered” by the House secretary.

“The matter of swearing in has been completed. There are more important matters to be discussed,” he said to further protests by Karpal Singh.

This sparked a melee of objections and shouts of “points of order” from Opposition members. At one time, Pandikar Amin asked Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN - Kinabatangan), who was attempting to disrupt the Opposition’s argument, to “keep quiet”.

“When the Tun Yang di-Pertua is speaking, nobody can talk.

“What has been raised are all trivial and technical issues while there are more important questions to be answered,” Pandikar Amin pleaded, only to be drowned out.

Things turned ugly when Karpal Singh called Bung Moktar the “Bigfoot from Kinabatangan” and for which he was called “big monkey” in return.

Later, the two men shook hands outside Dewan.

Malaysian parliament TV coverage to continue despite rowdy MPs

Mangalorean (5/5/08): The telecast of the question hour in Malaysia's Dewan Rakyat (parliament) is to continue despite rowdy scenes being caught 'live' during a 30-minute coverage.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he was "ashamed" after the first television coverage of parliament proceedings last week, when the new session began on a chaotic note following the March elections.

The government's threats to stop the coverage were stiffly opposed by the opposition, bolstered in strength to 82 this time.

In its editorial entitled "Low marks for rowdy MPs", The Sun newspaper attributed this to the rise in the opposition's strength.

"The boisterous opening debate of the new parliament Wednesday speaks volumes about the state of national politics today. Firstly, the much enlarged ranks of the opposition, from a sparse 20 in the previous parliament to the current 82 - a four-fold increase - creates the conditions for an enlivened debate in any sitting of the lower house," it said Monday.

"One lesson that is waiting to be drawn from the current embarrassing spectacle is that offending parliamentarians need to quickly get used to a much higher standard of conduct in the house. People have become more discerning about their political leaders and expect them to demonstrate that they are worthy of their respect," the newspaper added.

However, Indian origin lawmaker Karpal Singh said the public outcry at the parliament's proceedings was "unwarranted" and that it should be "seen in a perspective".

"We need a parliament which is robust," he said.

According to him, lively exchanges and repartee enliven what would otherwise be mundane and dull proceedings.

"I have been a member of parliament for 26 years. One of the dullest places on earth is the parliament," he said. (IANS)

Behavior Of Some MPs Appalling, Says Nik Aziz

Bernama (1/5/08):Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said today that the behaviour of some members of parliament (MPs) at the Dewan Rakyat's sitting yesterday was appalling.

He said the main duty of MPs was to solve to the people's problems and not engage in unbecoming conduct.

"I am ashamed at what happened. Apparently, some of the MPs do not seem to know why they are in Parliament in the first place," he told reporters after launching a motoring expedition here today.

Nik Aziz, who is also PAS' spiritual leader, said live telecasts of parliamentary debates should continue despite the poor start yesterday so that the people can evaluate for themselves the performance of their elected representatives.

Radio Television Malaysia broadcast the proceedings yesterday live. It was the Dewan Rakyat's first sitting after the March 8 election but descended into chaos because of unruly behavior by some MPs.

The good old bad days are back

NST (3/4/08): Perhaps we should be grateful that our parliamentarians display bravery more with verbal rattling and macho posturing than with fists of furies and flying kicks. In some foreign people’s assembly, arguments that begin in a civilised nature would almost always degenerate into a flurry of violence and ungentlemanly (or unladylike) conduct, with a couple of chairs and shoes thrown in for good measure at the object or objects of loathing just to justify the rush of adrenaline.

But inside the reverent hall of the Dewan Rakyat, this irreverent verbal jousting – abrupt interjections, rude interruptions, tastelessly snide remarks or just plain badmouthing – were exchanged like gunfire, a verbal Baghdad-like war zone so to speak. If real bullets were exchanged, our MPs engaged in this modern verbal warfare would walk out of the hall barely hanging on to their skins.

It is not so much the exchanges as were the words or lack or words hurled that calls into question as to why this session should be telecast live, as posited by Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek. Should ordinary, civilised Malaysians be subjected to acts and words of idiocy by seemingly intelligent parliamentarians? On the flip side, they should, seeing that the opening salvo of the 12th Parliament, which should have been a routine question and answer session, backslided into a kind of “reality show”, a cross between Jerry Springer and Akademi Fantasia.

Take a sample of the colourful exchanges filled with metaphors and insults between seasoned campaigner Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) with his long-time punching bags, Bung Mukhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) and Datuk Seri Ibrahim Ali (Ind-Pasir Mas).

When Karpal, citing the standing orders of the lower house, questioned the validity of the 222 MPs’ oath-taking on Monday, he was immediately interjected by an indignant Bung Mukhtar, who must have thought that Karpal was questioning his legitimacy. Karpal wasn’t the least disturbed, retaliating in the best way he knows how: throw back the insult and lob a verbal grenade to Bung Mukhtar: "I hope Bigfoot does not disrupt proceedings. Bigfoot, sit down."

Like the swiftest gazelle, Bung Mukhtar sprang from his chair to rebut, shouting: "I am Bigfoot, you are big monkey." The circus was at its entertaining peak.

Then there was the altercation with Ibrahim. In the most dead-panned of tone, the Pasir Mas MP questioned why the wheelchair-bound Karpal did not seek the House’s permission to allow him to speak without having to stand up – tactically tactless but something the Kelantanese would have enjoyed mouthing.

The reaction was predictable. Other MPs hyperventilated over Ibrahim’s tactlessness and called for him to withdraw his remarks but Karpal remained nonchalant, so blasé was he to the politically incorrect vilification that he must have developed a rocklike façade to the attacks.

Of course, the insults and un-House posture were pure entertainment, even for the most politically-minded of Malaysians. But it must have been a revelation for rookie MPs who, regrettably, would likely pick up this newfound Parliamentary vocabulary, like this sabre rattling exercise at the expense of rookie MP Tian Chua (PKR-Batu).

Tian Chua would have thought that he had exercised parliamentary civility by asking Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (BN-Bintulu), during the debate on the royal address, on what he thought of a certain kris wielding exercise. Tiong, the BN’s backbenchers’ club chairman, laughed it off and dismissed Tian Chua’s view as newbie’s impertinence. He even rapped the Batu MP as a “batu api” (instigator). Tian Chua could only smile sheepishly.

All in all, only three questions were answered on the first day of raucousness, with Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia having to act like a schoolmaster dealing with a bunch of screaming, unruly schoolboys, exasperatingly dousing the incessant arguments over point of orders and petty semantics over why supplementary questions were not allowed on the first day and why a question first in the queue was not given priority.

Twenty minutes elapsed quickly before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was waiting patiently in his seat, could deliver his reply but by this time, Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor) was already protesting that by not allowing added questions, it was an unprecedented move in the history of the Dewan Rakyat.

Lim also claimed without supplementary questions, the presence of the Prime Minister in the House was “pointless.” Lim topped his rhetoric with a claim that there appear to be a “conspiracy” to stop Pakatan Rakyat from asking questions, to which Pandikar rebuffed, saying that he was also concerned with time-keeping and that MPs could ask the supplementary questions on another day.

As the clash intensified, Abdullah appealed to the Speaker to allow one or two supplementary questions. Pandikar Amin relented and allowed Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS-Marang) the privilege of the day. It was after this that TV1 ended live transmission.

That’s what so special about the Dewan Rakyat: expressions of democratic opinions are freely bartered, even if they sound half-witted. The positions that these opposing MPs take is this: no quarter given and no quarter taken.

Democracy was also throttling at a fine pace at the Parliament lobby where wives of Internal Security Act detainees used the occasion to push their appeal that the authorities release their husbands after years of detention without a trial, or at least, a more solid reason.

It was as if these seasoned MPs, knowing that the Q&A was aired live on TV1, at least for the first 45 minutes, dropped their regular Joe routine and donned a Shakespearean mask for a theatrical performance of outrage and moralising. Cynics would say it was the other way around.

Unparliamentary behaviour of the worst kind

NST (4/5/08): A disorderly house perhaps best describes Parliament on its first sitting on Wednesday. What an unedifying spectacle.

It was nothing if not absolute mayhem as some members tried to outpoint their colleagues in outrageous behaviour before the television cameras. Given the propensity of some members on the opposition benches to disrupt proceedings as a matter of principle, the decision by the Cabinet to televise "question time" was, in the event, ill-advised.

It was clear from the outset that two of their leading lights, Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh, were feverish with excitement at the almost heaven-sent opportunity to do something they were particularly good at -- attracting attention to themselves. The Treasury-financed nationwide live telecast of the parliamentary proceedings was the answer to their prayers.

It would have been totally unrealistic to expect them not to put to maximum effect their well-known and well-rehearsed confrontational politics. On this occasion, they outshone even their normally obstreperous behaviour and outdid themselves by the havoc they succeeded in creating.

What principles, I wonder, were they defending that could justify turning what should have been a celebration of a changed political landscape and climate into a boisterous Petaling Street Peking opera?
I hope those viewers who voted for them in the recent general election were impressed by the performance of these two politicians. Their antics were more suited to pre-election hustings than the debating chamber of democracy.

Such behaviour is getting a little tiresome when all we wanted was to watch the prime minister take questions and to assess the answers.

The DAP, in its present state of political rebirth, must leave its shrill ideological class war cries and its accompanying doctrinal backpack outside the main entrance. Instead, they should try to integrate with the social and cultural norms of Malaysian society where good manners still command a premium.

There was no need to play to the gallery because they are both respected politicians who are well known for taking up causes in the public interest.

It was a great disappointment to see these role models, who should know better, trivialise what was intended to be a solemn occasion. The lack of respect for the most sacred of our national institutions is appalling, to say the least.

I fervently hope that this lapse will not rub off on the members, many still wet behind the ears, now in the House for the first time. The parliamentary culture of decorum, respect for fellow MPs, and above all else your own sense of self-respect must be preserved at all costs.

The Speaker of the House must use his considerable powers to discipline, to the fullest extent possible, wayward, recalcitrant members who bring the system of parliamentary democracy into disrepute. He would otherwise be failing in his duty.

I have long been their great admirer, but I have to say this: if they had expected rapturous public adulation for that stroppy behaviour of a most unparliamentary kind, I urge them to think again.

What, may I ask, were these two battle-scarred and slightly long-in-the-tooth honourable gentlemen hoping to achieve? Had it not occurred to them that by their action, they were denying their fellow-citizens a rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of Parliament at work?

Such boorish and loutish behaviour is out of place in Malaysia where we still believe that good manners count a great deal in and out of Parliament. Even Taiwan and India, known for their "scuffling lawmakers" and used to such behaviour, would baulk at the idea of their MPs replicating the ploy used by our two senior opposition members to gain notoriety, the only word I can think of.

Lest I be accused of bias, let me remind my readers that the same disapproving label was used by me to describe the behaviour of the two Barisan Nasional parliamentarians, Datuk Mohd Said Yusof (Jasin) and Datuk Bung Mokhtar (Kinabatangan) who savaged the honour and dignity of womanhood in the infamous "leakage" affair involving the member for Batu Gajah, Fong Poh Kuan. They have since apologised for their action and I trust are duly repentant.

In that article in May last year, I had used the word "behaviour" pejoratively when I said, "A person's behaviour in and out of public life says a great deal more about his personal values and standards than all the external trappings of office he surrounds himself with".

For now, all that remains for me to say to MPs on both sides of the House is shape up or ship out. Grow up, do your duty in a way that adds personal commitment and meaning to your sacred oath of office, thus bringing respect to yourself and honour to an institution which is a proud national symbol of our evolving democratic values.

Two other matters deserve comment. The first was a written reply by the prime minister to Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (Pas-Marang) who wanted to know how much was incurred by the government for the use of the executive jets by the prime minister and his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, between Feb 24 and March 8. The government spent RM792,325.20.

The dates are significant, and I can guess what the good Pas leader had in mind when he requested the information. This is really the purpose of question time in Parliament.

Let us be charitable and regard the DAP-aided fiasco as an aberration. In future, if it is decided to continue the live telecast, which I hope will be the case, allow viewers to listen to the questions asked and answers given without interruption.

To return to the use of the government executive jets for other than strictly official and not party business: in order to avoid any allegation of impropriety, government ministers should desist from using government property once Parliament is dissolved.

Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting is concerned that because of the preponderance of Malays, and those who claim they are Malays, in the judicial service, there is the perception according to him that "our judges will not be able to adjudicate fairly and impartially on sensitive issues, particularly relating to religion if a person's faith becomes an issue before a panel of judges whose religious faith and belief may differ from his or hers".

Based on these sentiments, does it not worry the good datuk seri that it is the Malay-dominated police and the armed forces that are providing the security and protecting Chinese lives and property?

Perhaps to overcome the problem, we should introduce national service, not the Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye fun-and-games summer camp variety, to redress the situation. I cannot tell you how much I really detest anyone playing the race card to justify an argument.

The writer is a former special adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on Ethics. He can be contacted at tunkua@gmail.com

Verbal battle in Parliament: Only three questions asked in 90-minute session

NST (30/4/08): The question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat which began its sitting today was disrupted for almost an hour when several members of parliament, particularly from the opposition, raised questions on the meeting procedures.

Following the interruption, the first question on the Order Paper was only asked after 20 minutes the House was in session to be answered by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

However, several members of parliament, especially Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) and Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) continued to dispute the meeting procedures, prompting Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to repeatedly ask them to allow the question-and-answer session to go on.

After nearly an hour later, only then the House could proceed with the second question, with Pandikar Amin reminding members of parliament on the importance of the session for the people’s interests.

Only three questions were answered when the one-and-a-half-hour question-and-answer session ended at 11.30am.

The session began with Pandikar Amin proclaiming Parti Keadilan Rakyat president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR-Permatang Pauh) as the opposition leader.

He said Dr Wan Azizah was unanimously nominated for the post by Pakatan Rakyat.

After the proclammation, wheelchair-bound Karpal Singh continued to dispute procedures governing the swearing-in of members of parliament on Monday.

Pandikar Amin said the swearing-in was over and all members of parliament who were sworn in had been accepted as members of parliament.

“I’ve made the decision and I think the decision is final. It’s legal and that’s my decision,” said Pandikar Amin.

Despite being constantly interrupted by members of parliament, Pandikar Amin, who was sworn in as the Dewan Rakyat speaker on Monday, appealed to them to cooperate for the sitting to proceed smoothly.

Pandikar Amin also asked MPs not to butt in when the speaker was talking and that they should speak only after asking permission from the speaker.

“If all MPs were allowed to speak merely on technical matters, the Dewan Rakyat cannot perform its actual duties effectively.

“If members of this august House did not respect the speaker’s decision, then whoever asked to sit on the speaker’s chair cannot perform the entrusted responsibilities as every MP tried to be adamant,” he said.

Mohamed Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) asked about the role and influence of a speaker in listing out the oral questions because he claimed the role of the parliamentary opposition leader was not recognised.

“Actually, the opposition leader must be given preference to ask the first question but I find that from the 10 questions listed, only three were allotted for Pakatan Rakyat and seven for Barisan Nasional (BN).

“There are 82 opposition MPs as compared to BN’s 77 backbenchers. I want to propose six questions be given to Pakatan Rakyat and the rest to BN,” he said.

Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) then stood up to ask the opposition which Standing Order were they referring to that stipulated that the first question must be given to the parliamentary opposition leader.

Pandikar Amin interjected, saying: “Give a chance to the speaker. I agree with the Kinabatangan member that there was no provision in the Standing Orders on whose questions should be given priority.

“This is a question of convention and that also it’s up to the speaker’s discretion,” he said.

As Razali was about to ask the first question, Karpal again butted in, posing a question on Standing Orders.

Karpal said: “I hope the “bigfoot” from Kinabatangan will not interrupt me. Bigfoot sit down.”

Bung Moktar replied: “Stand up if you dare. If I’m bigfoot, you are big monkey.”

Karpal also questioned the status of Pasir Mas MP Datuk Paduka Ibrahim Ali, for contesting on a PAS ticket, but was given the seat as an independent in the Dewan Rakyat.

Pandikar Amin said the question on who to sit where was the Dewan Rakyat’s discretion.