TAIPING MP Nga Kor Ming, who has been suspended from the Dewan Rakyat, has accused Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia of committing contempt against the House.

He said Pandikar had abused his power by suspending him, Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham and Batu Gajah MP V. Sivakumar for 10 days over their call for him to resignation.

The three DAP lawmakers had told Pandikar to resign after he refused to allow the House to debate the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.

“He has acted as the police, prosecutor and judge. If (veteran DAP MP) Lim Kit Siang can recall, there has never been an incident in 50 years where three MPs were suspended on the same day without being referred to the privileges committee.

“Pandikar… should have tabled a motion, pass it in the House and have us referred to the committee. That would have allowed us to explain ourselves.

“Our only mistake was asking him to resign. We made the statement outside the House. He has no right to suspend us over remarks made outside the House. He can sue us for defamation,” Nga told a press conference in Penang today.

Nga was at the Penang High Court to show support to his party leader, Lim Guan Eng, who is facing a corruption trial related to his bungalow house purchase.

Nga said for the last three years, more than 70 opposition MPs had been pushing for the 1MDB scandal to be discussed in the house, but each time a motion was tabled or a question regarding it was raised, it would be shot down.

“Just mention this magic word and it will be rejected.

“If MPs are not allowed to ask questions in the Dewan Rakyat, then where do we ask questions? In the coffee shop?

“Is he not the one in contempt of the House? The one making us a laughing stock in the world?” 

Nga said he would not sue Pandikar but he appealed to the people to be the ultimate judge when the election comes.

Meanwhile, on the tabled anti-fake news bill, Nga called it a “grievous assault” on media freedom, especially on investigative journalism.

He said if news was up to the authorities to interpret, what would the RM2.6 billion deposited into Prime Minister Najib Razak’s account be.

“The world sees it as corruption, but he calls it donation. Who decides what is wrong and right?

“So does the media company pay a RM500,000 fine and the reporter goes to jail for 10 years for reporting the news?

“It is a ridiculous and shameful episode for the country,” he said.

Lim, who is Bagan MP, said it is worrying that the three DAP MPs were suspended when the anti-fake news bill and re-delineation were being tabled.

He told all DAP MPs who had turned up at court to support him to return to the Dewan Rakyat to debate the bill and re-delineation.

He said the federal government was on the way of making Malaysia a dictatorship, not just a kleptocracy.

“It is very worrying when MPs can be suspended at will, without a motion tabled.

“And the anti-fake news bill… it is very draconian with punishments of 10 years jail and half a million fine. We never expected this.

“Is this the kind of country we want? If BN can do this ahead of the general election, it would be worse later on (if it wins),” he said. – March 26, 2018.