Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang is not letting the government off the hook so easily - he will be resubmitting his motion to debate the 2003 Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) report when Parliament resumes next month.

His earlier motion, filed at the last sitting two weeks ago, failed by one day to comply with the requisite 14-day notice given that the parliamentary session ended on July 14.

"I had asked the government to give the motion priority, which would obviate the need for the 14-day notice for an ordinary motion, but the cabinet decided against it...," he lamented.

When the motion was first filed, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz had argued that the Suhakam report - which contains recommendations on improving human rights in the country - could be debated during the three-day meeting allocated for supplementary supply estimates in the last session.

Lim, who is also leader of opposition party DAP and Ipoh Timur MP, said that this had proved to be untrue as Parliament had failed to debate the crucial report.

Suhakam is required to file an annual report to Parliament, which it has done for the past three years, but the Barisan Nasional-controlled legislature had consistently refused to discuss the rights body's findings and recommendations.

By resubmitting his motion, Lim is ensuring the government could not ignore the crucial report.

"I call on the cabinet to agree that the first day of the July meeting of parliament on July 5 should be set aside for the debate on the Suhakam report...," he said in a statement yesterday.

The opposition leader said that by discussing the report, the parliament would do "double justice, firstly to Suhakam in the discharge of its statutory remit to protect and promote human rights; and secondly, to parliament, in exercising responsible oversight over Suhakam".

Action against Utusan, Bernama too

Meanwhile, Nazri, who is minister in charge of parliamentary affairs, said that parliament will debate another Lim's motion next month.

Lim had submitted a motion on the last day of the previous parliamentary session to discuss actions against two media organisations - Malay daily Utusan Malaysia and state-owned news agency Bernama - for distorting a speech he made in Parliament on the issue of Islamic state.

Nazri said that one day would be allocated to debate the motion when all other government matters had been completed.

Lim is seeking to refer the two news organisations to the parliamentary privileges committee for trying to paint him as anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

Utusan

had carried a front-page headline report on June 10 entitled ' Kit Siang questions Islamic state ', followed by another prominent report the next day which had a warning by Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein for the veteran politician not to play with fire .

The DAP supremo said, contrary to the news reports, he had not questioned why the head of government in Malaysia was a Muslim, but why the government states that the prime minister must be a Muslim in accordance with its definition of an Islamic state.

He argued the federal constitution stated that the premier's post is open to all Malaysians.

"I was very careful about what I said about Islam and the Islamic state in Parliament, and this is why I will not allow anyone, including Utusan Malaysia and Bernama to distort what I had said," he had earlier told malaysiakini .

Parliament is set to resume its sitting on July 5 and will be expected to meet for 10 days.