Hansard: Another Pakatan rep's speech 'removed'
Hazlan ZakariaPublished: Feb 7, 2011 7:31 AM | Updated: Feb 7, 2011 12:58 PM
Hanky-panky involving the Sarawak state assembly Hansard has widened to include omissions from the speech of another Pakatan state assemblyperson.
Hanky-panky involving the Sarawak state assembly Hansard has widened to include omissions from the speech of another Pakatan state assemblyperson.
This time, the furore is over the removal of 13 paragraphs from the speech of assembly newcomer and DAP Meradong assemblyperson Ting Tze Fui.
DAP chairperson and Sibu MP Wong Ho Leng said in a Tweet yesterday that Pending assemblyperson Violet Yong's speech was not the only one excluded.
Wong said 13 paras in the speech by Ting (right), touching on assembly speaker Awang Asfia Nasar and Sarawak second finance minister Wong Soon Koh, had also been excluded from the Hansard.
Pending assemblyperson Violet Yong is furious that her speech, touching on the wealth of the families of Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and Deputy Chief Minister Dr George Chan, had been left out of the Hansard.
Contacted today, Ting confirmed that 13 paragraphs of her speech made during the proceedings of the House rights and privileges committee, which suspended her recently, were not recorded or "removed" from the Sarawak assembly Hansard.
"The parts were about Wong who moved the motion against me, and the speaker of the dewan (Awang Asfia), who acts for the 'unseen hand' in the assembly, that of chief minister of Sarawak," she said.
'Affront to democracy'
Ting sees the omissions as "a great affront to the democratic institution", and disrespectful of the rakyat as a whole.
"This is a highly reprehensible, illegal and high-handed act of the BN government... words spoken by the opposition members have been removed or heavily censored on the instructions of the 'ultimate boss' of Sarawak," she said, taking another swipe at Taib.
Other than the "unseen hand" of Taib, Ting, who is also state DAP director of political education, also holds assembly speaker Awang Afsia personally accountable for the matter.
"The speaker has full control and authority over the business of the state assembly, including the Hansard. He is wholly responsible and must be held answerable," she added.
The omission of Ting's speech is another blow to the credibility of the Sarawak state assembly proceedings following the revelation of the blackout imposed on 'sensitive' parts of Yong's speech during last November's sitting of the state assembly.
The Hansard is the printed transcript of proceedings in Parliament and state assemblies.
'Omission should not have happened'
The omission of parts of the speeches of the two assemblypersons has brought brickbats from both sides of the parliamentary divide as a disgrace to the reputation and dignity of the state legislative assembly.
"This should not have happened because debates are recorded in verbatim and it has been the practice (of publishing them in the Hansard) for over 100 years," Selangor assembly speaker Teng Chang Khim said.
Teng (right), who is also Sungai Pinang assemblyperson, told Malaysiakini it is against convention for parts of an assemblyperson's speech to be removed and that Sarawak had set a "bad precedent".
"I hope it is a technical issue and I hope they do the necessary to restore the Hansard. Otherwise it affects the reputation and dignity of the House," said Teng.
Parliament deputy speaker Wan Junaidi Jaafar said although the laws of a state legislative assembly may differ in certain aspects, the rules were similar to the practice of Parliament.
"Never in my 21 years in Parliament have I heard of such a thing happening. Whether we like it or not, there will never be censorship of the proceedings.
"If there was ever such a thing as blacking-out details from the Hansard, definitely someone will be held responsible," said Wan Junaidi, who is the BN parliamentarian for Santubong.
This time, the furore is over the removal of 13 paragraphs from the speech of assembly newcomer and DAP Meradong assemblyperson Ting Tze Fui.
DAP chairperson and Sibu MP Wong Ho Leng said in a Tweet yesterday that Pending assemblyperson Violet Yong's speech was not the only one excluded.
Wong said 13 paras in the speech by Ting (right), touching on assembly speaker Awang Asfia Nasar and Sarawak second finance minister Wong Soon Koh, had also been excluded from the Hansard. Pending assemblyperson Violet Yong is furious that her speech, touching on the wealth of the families of Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and Deputy Chief Minister Dr George Chan, had been left out of the Hansard.
Contacted today, Ting confirmed that 13 paragraphs of her speech made during the proceedings of the House rights and privileges committee, which suspended her recently, were not recorded or "removed" from the Sarawak assembly Hansard.
"The parts were about Wong who moved the motion against me, and the speaker of the dewan (Awang Asfia), who acts for the 'unseen hand' in the assembly, that of chief minister of Sarawak," she said.
'Affront to democracy'
Ting sees the omissions as "a great affront to the democratic institution", and disrespectful of the rakyat as a whole.
"This is a highly reprehensible, illegal and high-handed act of the BN government... words spoken by the opposition members have been removed or heavily censored on the instructions of the 'ultimate boss' of Sarawak," she said, taking another swipe at Taib.
Other than the "unseen hand" of Taib, Ting, who is also state DAP director of political education, also holds assembly speaker Awang Afsia personally accountable for the matter.
"The speaker has full control and authority over the business of the state assembly, including the Hansard. He is wholly responsible and must be held answerable," she added.
The omission of Ting's speech is another blow to the credibility of the Sarawak state assembly proceedings following the revelation of the blackout imposed on 'sensitive' parts of Yong's speech during last November's sitting of the state assembly.
The Hansard is the printed transcript of proceedings in Parliament and state assemblies.
'Omission should not have happened'
The omission of parts of the speeches of the two assemblypersons has brought brickbats from both sides of the parliamentary divide as a disgrace to the reputation and dignity of the state legislative assembly.
"This should not have happened because debates are recorded in verbatim and it has been the practice (of publishing them in the Hansard) for over 100 years," Selangor assembly speaker Teng Chang Khim said.
Teng (right), who is also Sungai Pinang assemblyperson, told Malaysiakini it is against convention for parts of an assemblyperson's speech to be removed and that Sarawak had set a "bad precedent"."I hope it is a technical issue and I hope they do the necessary to restore the Hansard. Otherwise it affects the reputation and dignity of the House," said Teng.
Parliament deputy speaker Wan Junaidi Jaafar said although the laws of a state legislative assembly may differ in certain aspects, the rules were similar to the practice of Parliament.
"Never in my 21 years in Parliament have I heard of such a thing happening. Whether we like it or not, there will never be censorship of the proceedings.
"If there was ever such a thing as blacking-out details from the Hansard, definitely someone will be held responsible," said Wan Junaidi, who is the BN parliamentarian for Santubong.
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