An opposition member in the Sarawak state legislative assembly was today prevented from raising the issue of an Internet website called Sayottaib that has been criticial of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

When Wong Ho Leng, the opposition Democratic Action Party's (DAP) sole representative in the state assembly, started to talk about the website, Speaker Mohd Asia Awang Nassar interrupted him and asked Wong to move on to the next issue in his speech.

Wong was in the middle of his address during the debate on the motion of thanks to the Head of State for opening the present session of the 62-member assembly.

Wong later told malaysiakini the Speaker had laid three conditions - including establishing the veracity or accuracy of the information posted on the website - before Wong could raise the issue.

The website, already in existence for several months, contains postings of what are claimed to be highly-classified documents that Wong said "paint a picture of cronyism, misdeeds, malpractice and corruption involving many cabinet ministers".

In his prepared text of speech made available to malaysiakini, Wong said, "I have taken great pains to surf all the documents that had appeared on the website. I am unable to say whether all the information is accurate, or whether the documents are genuine.

"But it baffles me and it should also baffle the government and this August House that how on earth have classified and confidential documents of the government have been scanned and posted on the Internet."

He said that in this digital era any untoward dissemination of information could have disastrous consequences on investment and the health of the state and the people.

Opposition-bashing

The state government, he said, should therefore tell the people whether there was any truth in any of these purportedly classified documents.

"This is crucial because the information so disseminated on the website affects the integrity of the chief minister personally and the various government departments. I am sure (a government disclosure) will also be for the public benefit."

He had in his speech also proposed that the state assembly set up a special committee to investigate how these so-claimed confidential documents of the chief minister and state government departments could have been posted on website called 'Sayottaib'.

Wong also said that he had heard many accusations that the opposition was responsible for the said postings in the Internet.

"Pending investigations I suggested earlier, these accusations, finger-pointing and opposition-bashing are unwarranted and serve no purpose at all. It is also grossly unfair," he added.

"For one thing, it is important to ask how any opposition party could have gained access to any of these government documents?

"They are classified and confidential. They are not merely one or two documents, but tens of them. Can we ask where they come from if not from disgusted government servants?" asked Wong.

Motion denied

Wong was also stopped last week when he wanted to touch on the issue of two financial Bills and the motion seeking additional approval on government spending for this year, all of which were passed at the early part of the sitting

Wong had wanted to ask for clarification concerning the hefty allocations for light and water bills for the residences of certain ministers, but the question was rejected by the Speaker.

The House papers had indicated that the water and light charges incurred at the private residence of the Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communications Wong Soon Koh amounted to about RM60,000 last year. One of the supplementary bills provided additional sums for this under the allocation 'minister's residence'.

This had led the minister himself to come up with a statement of clarification last Thursday which said his own house bill amounted only to one-tenth of the allocation. The rest was incurred by his two assistant ministers.

Wong told malaysiakini all he wanted to say was to ask the assembly to consider amending the House rules to allow debate on motions to enable assembly representatives to have their say.

He said this would avoid a repeat of the incident last week when the House passed a motion on an additional RM712 million to be appropriated out of the Consolidated Fund without any debate at all.