PARLIAMENT’S Standing Orders are insufficient to punish MPs who use vulgarities in the Dewan Rakyat and must be amended, a group of civil society organisations said.

The Seed Community for a Professional Parliament (SCPP) said Standing Order 36 should be amended to automatically refer any MP to the House’s privileges committee if they make sexist, racist, treacherous, subversive and offensive expressions.

Severe penalties, if the MP is found guilty, must also be imposed by the committee, the group added in reference to Pasir Salak lawmaker Tajuddin Abdul Rahman from Umno who earlier this week uttered a profanity in the House during the debate on the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill.

“The Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders are ill-equipped to punish the offenders in vulgarity and demeaning expressions. 

“While sexist, racist, treacherous, subversive and offensive expressions are all “out of order” (menjadi kesalahan) under order 36(4) and (10), no penalty is provided. Hence, an offender can get out of trouble by simply withdrawing and apologising,” SCPP said in a statement.

The relevant Standing Order should be amended so that besides automatic referral to the privileges committee, an offending MP must also be penalised with a minimum RM500 fine, and stiffer penalties be handed down for repeat offenders.

“Mandatory suspension (can also be) an option to force the party or party whip to enforce discipline among their MPs,” said SCPP.

These amendments should be made by the Standing Orders committee, which Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Azizan Harun chairs. Its other members comprise four MPs from the government and two from the opposition.

On July 20, Tajuddin accused DAP women MPs of being “indecent” (tidak senonoh) and also used a foul word in Malay.

He was only given a warning by deputy speaker Rashid Hasnon.

SCPP ticked off Rashid for being “weak”, noting the deputy speaker’s inconsistency and disproportionality between the warning given to Tajuddin and the suspension of Kota Belud MP Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis two days prior for demanding a debate on the seizure of Petronas assets by the claimed descendants of the Sulu sultanate.

“(Tajuddin) exposes not just rudeness and vulgarity of the uncultured parliamentarian who repeatedly brings shame to his constituency and constituents, but also both the failure of deputy speaker Rashid Hasnon to act fairly.”

SCPP members are Bersih 2.0, Undi18, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), Bait Al Amanah, Engage Network, WISDOM Foundation and Institute for Political Reform and Democracy (REFORM). – July 22, 2022.