DEWAN Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia should reconsider his decision to have three DAP MPs, who pushed for him to resign, penalised, DAP said.

Party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Pandikar should remember there is freedom of speech in a democracy.

“The three MPs were stating their views outside the House. But Pandikar wants to use the authority of the House to have action taken against them.

“It is undemocratic. I hope he reconsiders. There is freedom of speech in any democracy,” he told a press conference at Komtar today.

On March 7, the three DAP lawmakers – Nga Kor Ming (Taiping), Ngeh Koo Ham (Beruas) and V. Sivakumar (Batu Gajah) – issued a statement urging Pandikar to step down for rejecting an emergency motion on the 1Malaysia Development Bhd-linked luxury yacht The Equanimity and questions related to the state investor.

Pandikar had earlier turned down an emergency motion by PKR’s Alor Star MP Gooi Hsiao Leung, which urged Prime Minister Najib Razak to explain why the government did not intend to claim Equanimity.

The motion was rejected under Section 18(7)(c) of the Standing Orders, which allowed the Speaker to refuse any motion presented to him if it contravened the Standing Orders.

Pandikar said the DAP trio had insulted him and tarnished the good name of the House with their accusations, which included calls for him to honourably resign for failing to uphold the truth as the speaker.

He then wrote letters to each of them, demanding they make an open apology in the Dewan Rakyat over their remarks accusing him of collusion in covering up corruption scandals.

“Failure to do so will result in stern action being taken against the Yang Berhormat,” he said in the letter.

Lim, who is Bagan MP and Penang chief minister, said if MPs were denied the space to debate and bring up issues at the Dewan Rakyat, there was no use being MPs.

“They are parliamentarians democratically elected by the people. Their voice should not be denied.

“DAP defends the three, who have said they stand by their statements. I also agree they should meet with Pandikar to get clarification on the matter,” he said. – March 16, 2018.