PARLIAMENT must not revert to the time before the last general election when the sub judice rule was abused to block any parliamentary examination and questioning of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) financial scandal, Lim Kit Siang said today.

The Iskandar Puteri MP said as such it was important for the House to allow debate on the seizure of Petronas assets by purported heirs of the Sulu sultanate last week.

He was referring to Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun’s sub judice ruling yesterday in disallowing a debate on the seizure of Petronas assets. 

He also suspended Kota Belud MP Isnaraissah Munirah for arguing over the issue. 

“The speaker’s sub judice ruling undermines four fundamental rights – freedom of expression, Sabah sovereignty, Parliament’s role as the highest political chamber in the land and integrity of public officials.

“The speaker should review the ruling or allow Isnaraissah to move a motion under the Standing Orders to review the speaker’s decision,” said the DAP veteran.

Yesterday chaos erupted in Dewan Rakyat after Azhar refused to allow an emergency motion to debate the seizure of Petronas’ overseas assets as part of a claim by heirs of the Sulu sultanate against Putrajaya over unpaid compensation.

Parliament sessions under the Barisan Nasional administration before the last general election were under constant criticism over the failure to debate or oversee the then unravelling 1MDB scandal.

All motions by the opposition then were rejected on the basis that the matter was under investigation or before courts in a foreign jurisdiction, thus making it sub judice.

A similar motion to debate the seizure of Petronas assets was also dismissed in the Sabah assembly yesterday because the notice supposedly fell short of the required 24 hours.

Penang Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy also slammed the legislative bodies’ decision in rejecting the motions to discuss the Sulu sultanate issue.

He said the Dewan Rakyat speaker refused to entertain the motion because the debate might have been very embarrassing to the government.  

“It might expose the shoddy matter in which the sovereignty of Sabah or the question of rights of the Sulu sultanate was dealt with in the past,” said the DAP leader.

He said the matter was now pending in France following Malaysia’s decision to set aside the award granted to the descendants of the Sulu sultan.

“The date of the trial is yet to be determined. Such a hearing will be held in France. There is no reason for the Parliament in Malaysia to pay so much attention to an undated pending matter. 

“I really don’t know how a parliamentary debate can affect the outcome of the trial in the French court. 

“Parliament was the right forum in which elected representatives could articulate their views on such an important subject of seizures of Malaysian assets on foreign soil,” he said. – July 19, 2022.