PKR rep booted from Perak assembly sitting
PKR’s Hutan Melintang assemblyperson was issued marching orders from the state assembly sitting today after he insisted on getting his question answered.
S Kesavan (PKR-Hutan Melintang) was issued marching orders from the state assembly sitting today after he insisted on getting his question answered.
At 11.15am after the Question hour had ended, Kesavan (left) stood up to demand that his question pertaining to land transfers within his constituency be answered by the Menteri Besar Zambry Abd Kadir, among others.
Despite speaker R Ganesan’s warnings, Kesavan insisted that as the representative of the people of Hutan Melintang, it is his duty to voice his "people’s woes".
Ganesan then suspended Kesavan under Article 44(2) of the Standing Order, for the day’s proceedings.
When he refused to leave the chamber, Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid (BN-Kamunting) stood up and moved under Articles 44(3) and 44(5) of the Standing Order for his suspension for the whole of the current sitting.
The motion was passed with a majority in the House.
DAP Pasir Pinji assemblyperson Thomas Su Keong Siong told Malaysiakini that there is a double jeopardy over which order Kesavan will have to follow - Ganesan’s initial order of one-day suspension or Zahir’s resolution of suspension for the whole of the current sitting.
Kesavan was finally removed from the House at 11.55am, and he was followed by Pakatan leader Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin and the remaining four PKR members for a press session at the media room.
The four are Chang Lih Kang (Teja), Chan Ming Kai (Simpang Pulai), Abdul Yunus Jamahri (Kuala Kurau) and Tai Sing Ng (Kuala Sepetang).
Kesavan: I was not rude
At the media conference, Kesavan insisted that he was not being rude to the speaker when he had to shout to voice his concern as his mike had been switched off.
He claimed that he had sent several letters to the relevant authorities and to the Menteri Besar Zambry Abd Kadir on the land issue, but they had gone unanswered and so he pressed for Zambry to answer his oral question No 23 in the House.
Nizar said that the flip-flop ruling of Ganesan does not speak well of the speaker in controlling the House.
“The voice of the people to be heard at the assembly has been suppressed,” lamented Nizar.
Meanwhile, Chang said, “This is a dangerous precedent set as the advantage of the majority is used against the spirit of democracy.
“We are unable to voice out the concerns of the people,” he added.
When asked whether the Pakatan elected members will stage a walkout like in the last assembly sitting, Nizar said, “No, we will not, as only one Pakatan member has been affected.
“We will remain for the duration of the assembly sitting to raise the issues (affecting the people in the state)” he pointed out.
However, he gave an assurance that he will raise this issue as the opposition leader.
It is not known how long the current sitting will be in session.
Last year, the sitting lasted only one day.
