PKR Vice President and MP for Lembah Pantai Nurul Izzah Anwar’s fate is sealed when the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak spoke in Pekan today to condemn her action as an offensive act and likened it to “a disrespect to the security forces’ struggle to defend the country, for which 10 of them were killed” in the Lahad Datuk intrusion by Sulu terrorist two years ago.

In the eye of the national and international storm over the RM2.6 billion “donation” and RM50 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals for the past few months, Najib has nothing to offer to end these two scandals which have wreaked many times more damage to Malaysia’s national and international reputation than Nurul’s visit to Manila, but Najib has been comparatively quick to pass judgment on Nurul.

I agree with PKR President and Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail that Nurul had intended no slight to Sabahans or the security personnel who perished in the Lahad Datuk intrusion, and her act could not by any stretch of imagination be categorized as consorting with the nation’s enemies or as an act of disloyalty or treachery.

Unfortunately, the incident had been overblown to serve the political interests of Najib and the UMNO/BN Government which are desperately looking for issues to distract public attention from the buckets of political and economic scandals plaguing the Najib government.

Najib’s comment in Pekan will be used as authority by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Azalina Othman Said to force UMNO/BN MPs to vote for her parliamentary motion to refer Nurul to the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges, although Azalina’s motion is a gross abuse of parliamentary process and practices.

Firstly, it does not comply with the requisite requirement of seven-day notice for Ministerial motions to be placed on the Order Paper.

Secondly, there could be no conceivable “public interest” to enable the Speaker to exempt the seven-day requirement for Ministerial motions.

The Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia should explain whether the “public interest” that Azalina had pleaded to justify her motion being exempted from the requisite seven-day notice for Ministerial motions is merely Pandikar’s quid pro quo to Azalina for the Minister’s earlielr agreement to move a privileges motion to suspend me from Parliament for six months?

Thirdly, the text of the motion is most improper and unparliamentary. Although
couched in the form of a reference of Nurul to the Committee of Privileges, the motion denies freedom of inquiry and finding by the Committee of Privileges as it constitutes a conviction that Nurul is guilty of the charges made by Azalina. All that the Privileges Committee could do is to suggest the penalty.

Fourthly, it is an oppressive and dangerous precedent to condemn an MP for violating the oath of office as a Member of Parliament “to bear true faith and allegiance to Malaysia” and to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution” on the flimsiest of grounds, not based on the facts of the case but on whether a majority vote in Parliament could be summoned in favour of the motion.

Which is more traitorous and subversive of the Constitution – Nurul’s innocent folly for being photographed with Jacel Karim or the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak being photographed having a handshake with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu in the United Nations recently?

Furthermore, which is more traitorous and subversive of the nation – Nurul’s innocent meeting with Jacel Karim or deeds which damaged Malaysia’s good name and standing in international scandal because of unprecedented mega financial scandals?

Fifthly, why was Azalina’s motion given priority over the substantive motion moved by the DAP MP for Puchong, Gobind Singh Deo to review the Speaker’s ruling which resulted in my six-month suspension from Parliament, when Gobind’s substantive motion only required two days’ notice under the Parliamentary Standing Orders.

UMNO/BN Ministers and propagandists have wrung enough political capital from Nurul’s visit to Manila and her being photographed with Jacel.

I hope good sense will prevail and Azalina will withdraw her motion against Nurul when Parliament meets for the last week beginning tomorrow.