SEGAMBUT MP Lim Lip Eng today was booted out from the Dewan Rakyat sitting for questioning Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia’s decision to reject his motion to debate the rationalisation plan of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). 

After Lip Eng ignored several orders from Deputy Speaker Islam Mohamed Sai to sit down, the MP was asked to leave the Lower House. 

The DAP lawmaker had previously asked the Speaker to explain why he had rejected his motion during the first reading of the Stamp (Amendment) Bill 2016.

“Yang Berhormat, please sit down. Right now, Yang Berhormat is interrupting government business,” Ismail said.

Lip Eng ignored the reprimand, and was ordered to leave the Dewan Rakyat, prompting Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang to join the fray in a bid to keep the 1MDB issue in the Parliament debate.

Kit Siang rose to protest that the motion filed by Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, which was No. 39 on Parliament’s order paper, was too low down the list.

“I would like to ask, as provided for under rule 14 (of the Standing Orders), why is the motion filed by the member from Puchong Jaya so low (down the order paper)? That motion should be debated,” said the DAP parliamentary leader.

But Ismail ignored Kit Siang, dismissing the use of rule 14 as an old trick by the veteran MP.

At a press conference later, Lip Eng said he had only wanted the speaker to clarify why his motion was rejected.

“The speaker rejected (my motion) yesterday, and I found out today that his reason was that action had been taken against 1MDB.

“My question was, what was the action taken against 1MDB? Prime Minister Najib Razak yesterday said 1MDB’s failure to pay the debt was because of a technical issue. So, the Dewan Rakyat has to debate (this issue) because the people’s money will be used to pay 1MDB’s debts.

“Unfortunately, my motion was rejected with the reason that ‘action had been taken’. I asked, what action? But I was ejected,” he said, adding that he was unsure how long he would barred from Parliament.

Kit Siang said the speaker was acting as if he wanted to be part of “1MDB’s fraudulent schemes”.

“The speaker must answer in the Dewan Rakyat, not through the media. If he is afraid, Pakatan Harapan will organise forum, where Pandikar Amin Mulia is invited to come.”

Opposition MPs had accused the speaker of rejecting more than 30 motions related to 1MDB, but Pandikar defended his actions, saying that debating the issue would be sub judice to the United States Department of Justice civil forfeiture suit. –  August 3, 2017.