A bid to enact a new law that will govern the Sarawak legislative assembly has left DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang wondering if the chief minister has lost the plot.

The State Legislature (Privileges and Powers) Bill 2007, scheduled to be tabled this week, seeks to compel all assemblypersons to declare any pecuniary interest in projects before they are allowed to take part in any discussion in the House or within committees.

Failure to comply would result in a fine of RM2,000 being imposed. If not paid on the spot, those concerned will be sent to jail until the fine is settled.

Asked to comment, Lim said: "I want to warn the Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud. It would mean that every time he stands up to speak on important subjects he must disclose his pecuniary interest.

"He must be warned that he is creating a situation whereby he is digging a hole to bury himself."

Lim was speaking on the sidelines of a DAP special congress in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The proposed bill covers other offences:

  • Insulting members coming into or leaving from the House

  • Tampering with witnesses

  • Presenting false documents to deceive the House or committees

  • Libellous publication concerning any member

  • Publishing reports or evidence obtained by the House

The bill also seeks to grant powers to state assembly speaker to order the arrest of anyone causing disturbance during sittings.

Describing the bill as "shocking" and "ridiculous", Lim claimed that the law would open the way for severe abuse.

"How do you interpret whether you are insulting a member (of the House) or not? It leaves a lot of room for dispute," he pointed out.

Real reason?

Lim said such laws were being put in place because of increased opposition against the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) in the state assembly.

"The Sarawak BN government seems to have gone berserk. For the first time they are facing six DAP and one PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) assemblypersons who have created havoc. Their (BN) representatives' life of comfort in not being questioned about their excesses and abuse of power has ended," he said.

"Their reaction is not to realise that they must uphold the principles of accountability and answer to the questions raised in the state assembly. Instead they have come out with this very punitive, unparliamentary and retrogressive proposal to arm them with powers of sanction against opposition assembly members."

DAP chairperson Karpal Singh said the sanctions have come in the form of an enactment and that the party would challenge it, should it become law as it contravenes freedom of expression.

"I hope the state attorney-general will seriously reconsider tabling the bill," he added.