Read this doc on Scribd: The Sun Malaysia Page 8 (2 May 2008)
8 theSun | FRIDAY MAY 2 2008 news without borders Fiery first-day sitting MANY were glad they came to Parliament on Wednesday to see the first-day sitting of the new Dewan Rakyat where for the first time more than a third of the members are from the opposition parties. And if they are not going to be in Parliament again, that noisy and fiery first day is the picture of the Opposition-enlivened 12th Parliament they are going to carry in their head for a long time. The schoolchildren in the public gallery held their breath as their elders – the people’s representatives – let their hair down and indulged in a frenzy of shouting, insulting, jeering, name calling, fists pumping and all kinds of other gesticulations as they went for one another’s throat. It was different on Monday when they took their oath as MPs and on Tuesday when they gathered to listen to the King’s speech. Then, forgetting their party affiliations, they had exchanged pleasantries and even joked as they milled about in the members’ lounge, in the banquet hall and in the Dewan Rakyat lobby. Thus, members of the public who were there from Monday to Wednesday wondered whether what happened in the chamber during the first sitting was merely for the rakyat’s benefit especially when they knew they were on camera. Taking centre stage was the duel between two old adversaries. Karpal Singh (DAPBukit Gelugor) had called the burly Datuk Bung Moktar Raden (BN-Kinbatangan) “big foot” and the shouter from Sabah responded by referring to the DAP chairman as “big monkey”. It was nothing new between the two and they had merely reprised what they did in the It is a pleasant exchange between old adversaries Bung Moktar and Karpal outside the Dewan. At the Dewan Rakyat by Zainon Ahmad newsdesk@thesundaily.com previous parliament. For them it was almost their way of singing the old Indian love song, especially when they later smiled and shook hands outside the Dewan. Even Bung Moktar’s repartee to the wheelchair-bound veteran lawyer that “if you dare, stand up lah” seemed like re-acting of the old script. And as if on cue, members of the Opposition, especially from Karpal Singh’s party, were on their feet shouting their protest. The only difference was there were more of them this time and the whole building seemed to shake when they stood up together. That he was roundly chastised by many NGOs then did not seem to deter Bung Moktar. Neither did it deter Datuk Ibrahim Ali (Independent-Pasir Mas) especially after Karpal Singh wanted to know why he was recognised by parliament as an independent MP when he stood under PAS ticket during the general election. Many wondered whether the seeming theSun says: Low mark for rowdy MPs – Pg 18 chaos was because of the new Speaker, Sabahan Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, new Dewan Rakyat secretary Roosme Hamzah and many new members who took to shouting “point of order, point of order” like they were veterans. And like the veterans, they thrust their rules book at the Speaker who made several rulings they found unacceptable. They challenged the Speaker further when he said: “I have ruled and my ruling is final.” They peppered him with questions about the oath-taking, about the arrangement of the questions in the day’s order paper and on why the newly-elected Opposition Leader Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR-Permatang Pauh) was not given the opportunity to ask the first question. On a number of occasions the Speaker asked everyone to sit down while he lectured them about the procedure and the convention of the house especially, “when I speak, no one else speaks and no one should be on his feet at that time” and “when I make a ruling, it is final”. It was only after 20 minutes that the first question, directed at the finance minister, was asked by Bung Moktar. Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who had been in his seat since 10 minutes before the Dewan convened and was in the House till the end of question hour, answered. After the prime minister sat down the House went into a frenzy again when the Speaker refused to allow supplementary questions – the most interesting part of every sitting of the House – saying that too much time had already been wasted. Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) implored the prime minister to intervene. Abdullah, as leader of the House, stood up and said that “one or two supplementary questions should be alright”. The Speaker then ruled: “OK, one supplementary question.” Wan Azizah’s turn to debate the motion of thanks to the King for his speech on Tuesday came at 15 minutes to adjournment time at 5.30pm after Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting (BN-Kulai) and Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (BN-Bintulu) had spoken as proposer and seconder. She did not harangue the House like Kit Siang did when he was opposition leader Top: Pandikar Amin: “When I speak, no one else speaks and no one should be on his feet at that time” and “when I make a ruling, it is final”. Centre: Lim and his team stand up together to protest against the Speaker for refusing to allow supplementary questions. Bottom: Khairy Jamaluddin making a point at the august House during question time. – even if she tried. But she was no less effective. In a clear and masterly voice she said her first duty in speaking as opposition leader is to call for the freeing of all those detained under the ISA. She even did not shout Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir Salak) down when he said that she only allowed her cronies to intervene during her speech – she gave way to Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS-Marang) instead of him. Instead she said, and quite sweetly too: “Don’t say that. Tak baik.”
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