On May 26 in Parliament, the UMNO leadership led MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the Sabah/Sarawak Barisan Nasional parties down the garden path when without any Barisan Nasional “consensus”, the UMNO Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Azalina Othman Said unilaterally and arbitrarily, moved a motion in Parliament to give priority to PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill motion over all official business.

In the last two days in Parliament, the UMNO leadership led PAS President, PAS MPs and the PAS membership down the garden path when Hadi’s private member’s bill motion was pushed from Item No. 4 yesterday to Item No. 7 today.

Although PAS members throughout the country expected Hadi’s private member’s bill motion to be passed in Parliament either yesterday or today, it is now clear that Hadi’s private member’s bill motion is unlikely to be debated in this first week of Parliament, which means it could not be debated, if at all, only in the last two days of the present budget meeting on Nov. 23 and 24 as Parliament will begin debating the 2017 Budget on Monday.

The intriguing question is who UMNO is leading down the garden path – MCA/Gerakan/MIC/BN parties in Sabah and Sarawak or PAS?

When asked by parliamentary reporters today, the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi said only the Prime Minister and UMNO President, Datuk Seri Najib Razak could decide on whether UMNO MPs would support Hadi’s private member’s bill motion.

May be the question that Najib should clarify is even wider than whether UMNO is leading MCA/Gerakan/MIC/BN or PAS down the garden path, but whether Najib is leading UMNO and the country down the garden path!

Malaysians are entitled to a clear-cut stand from Barisan Nasional MPs whether Barisan Nasional will renege on their commitment to uphold the fundamental basis and principles of the Merdeka Constitution 1957, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and Rukunegara 1970 and that not a single BN MP will vote in support for Hadi’s private member’s bill motion.

UMNO/MCA/Gerakan/MIC/BN equivocation on Hadi’s private member’s bill motion is one of the most shameful and disgraceful episodes in Malaysia’s parliamentary history.

The irresponsibility of UMNO/MCA/Gerakan/MIC/BN MPs on Hadi’s private member’s bill is only exceeded by the most outrageous and shameful episode in Malaysian parliamentary history – their total absence of shame and outrage at Malaysia’s infamy from being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy”, i.e. a rule by thieves and robbers!

Today is supposed to be a historic day for the Malaysian Parliament with the debut of the half-hour Minister’s Question Time (MQT), touted as the most significant of the Speaker’s parliamentary reforms.

I have however boycotted the debut of the MQT this morning in protest against the parliamentary charade pretending that Malaysia’s infamy for being a “global kleptocracy” does not exist.

I had submitted a question for the MQT to ask the Prime Minister what action the government was taking to cleanse and purge the national infamy of being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy”.

This question was rejected by the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia for today’s MQT.

Does this mean that Malaysia’s infamy from being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy” and Najib’s 1MDB global financial scandal have become “banned” subjects and cannot be raised in Parliament, whether by way of question, motion or debate?

Yesterday, the Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Mulia Amin made a ruling barring all questions on the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit filed on July 20 seeking forfeiture of US$1billion 1MDB-linked assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland from over US$3 billion international embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds on the ground that it is “sub judice”.

The Speaker’s ruling is against national interests as it will protect and even save Najib and the government from having to give full accountability for the 1MDB scandal, the DOJ action as well as Malaysia’s infamy at being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy”, which I described in Parliament as a rule by PPP – Pencuri, Perompak and Penyamun!

I fully agree with former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Hishammuddin Mohd Yunus who asked what “sub judice” was the Speaker talking about, as Ministers should not be barred from answering questions in Parliament on the United States Department of Justice’s (DOJ) civil suit involving the alleged misappropriation of 1MDB funds for the “sub judice” rule is meant for Malaysian courts and judges and cannot be applied in a litigation overseas!

The second MQT will be on Thursday. I am submitting the same question for the second MQT – to ask the Prime Minister what action the government is taking to cleanse and purge the national infamy of being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy”.

Let us see whether Malaysia’s infamy of being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy” and Najib’s 1MDB scandal have become “ banned” and outlawed subjects in the Malaysian Parliament, and whether I have to continue to boycott the MQT in protest at the charade the Malaysian Parliament has been reduced to so as to save the Prime Minister and Ministers from having to give a full account on these two burning issues.

(Speech at the DAP Anniversary/SSS Lim Guan Eng Dinner organized by Bukit Bintang DAP Branch in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday 18th October 2016 at 9 pm)