The Pahang state assembly suspended PKR's Semambu assemblyperson Lee Chean Chung for two sessions from today for calling the Pahang budget surplus a "false” one.

NONEWhen contacted, Lee said the action was taken without giving him a chance to defend himself before the rights and privileges committee.

The House voted 29 to 12 in favour of Lee's suspension.

This was after Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaacob tabled a motion under Standing Orders 36(4) and 36(6) against Lee for using “offensive”words and “imputing improper motives” on other members of the House.

“This shows that there is false democracy,” said Lee.

“This is not a dewan rakyat (house for the people’s representatives) but dewan Adnan (Adnan’s house),” he said.

Lee had called Pahang’s budget surplus a “fake” one while debating the 2014 Pahang budget last Tuesday.

“I argued that had it not for the RM100 million wang ehsan (compassionate fund), Pahang would have been in a serious deficit of RM97 million.

“But the MB couldn’t take it, so he immediately tabled the motion to call for the rights and privileges committee,” he said.

‘Called pig and dog’

The first-term assemblyperson said that he had tried to explain his position when Adnan was winding up the debates this morning but was not given room to speak.

“He was very emotional, calling me bodoh (stupid), anjing (dog), babi (pig) and tiada otak (brainless)... but no one referred him to the rights and privileges committee for this,” he lamented.

NONEEyewitnesses told Malaysiakini that Adnan (right)) said that elected representatives are supposed to be smart and that even dogs and pigs have brains.

However, this part was not included in the three-minute 51-second video of the incident uploaded onto Lee's Facebook page.

In the video, Adnan says Lee had “insulted the House and the government” by insinuating that the government had “lied” when it put together the proposed 2014 budget.

“What are you calling false? Stupid! What is cosmetic? We are expecting RM100 million from the federal government so we included it in the budget, and this results in a surplus of RM2 million...

“If you want to say it's cosmetic, say it's cosmetic. Don't say it is false,” Adnan says, clearly agitated.

Asked not to be emotional, Adnan, who called Lee “Anwar Ibrahim species”, spat out: “This is not emotional yet. This is only 10 percent.”

Pahang will get RM100 million in wang ehsan starting in the third quarter of 2014, following the discovery of oil at the PM307 block about 160 kilometres from Pahang’s shores.

NONELee said he has been in touch with Padang Serai MP N Surendran on the matter and the duo will launch a campaign for legislative reform.
 
“The House of Representatives needs reform to improve to be more efficient and democratic.

“The lack of democracy has made us victims so it’s time the public looked at pushing for more democratic space and freedom (in the House),” he said.

Surendran was earlier this month suspended for six months after he called Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia “biased” in a press conference at the Parliament lobby.