Gerakan Youth criticizes PKR MP’s legal suit against Speaker Chai Ko Thing: MPs should not target the Speaker and undermine the integrity of parliamentary proceedings

Gerakan Youth Legal Bureau chairman cum coordinator of Bukit Gasing state constituency Chai Ko Thing criticised Petaling Jaya Selatan MP Hee Loy Sian who had filed a lawsuit against Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and Dewan Rakyat secretary Datuk Roosme Hamzah yesterday for not being satisfied when two of his questions pertaining to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) were rejected.

Chai described the PKR MP’s legal suit as unprecedented. He asserted that it is wrong for Hee to seek cheap publicity to preserve his candidacy for the next general election He criticised that Hee’s apparent desperation to be re-nominated as a PKR candidate should not cause a disruption that would undermine the integrity of parliamentary proceedings.

“The parliamentary Standing Orders clearly give full discretion to Speaker on this matter, any attempt to drag him to court for any refusal made will cast aspersions to the sanctity of the Parliament, it will also open the floodgate for similar occurrences in future,” said Chai.

Chai said disgruntled opposition lawmakers who blamed the Speaker for not allowing questions about 1MDB to be debated in Parliament were merely playing politics. He stressed that the Speaker should be allowed to do his job without unnecessary legal challenge outside of the House.

Chai asserted that it is not true that no 1MDB question was answered as the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had previously tabled its report in Parliament for the perusal of all MPs, including opposition MPs. In fact, Chai pointed out it was reported that the Speaker had allowed 19 questions on 1MDB to be raised in the current sitting.

“If the Speaker can be sued because a parliamentary question was rejected, perhaps he could be sued for multiple times again by other unsatisfied MPs, because it was not just 1MDB related questions that have been rejected but many other questions under Standing Order 23 (C), it is wrong to target the Speaker and insist on getting the nod for their deliberate questions that were politically motivated,” said Chai.