Archive for category State Assembly

Perak State Assembly makes world history — proposer and seconder of confidence motion voted against their own motion

(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)

The Perak State Assembly has made world history — with the proposer and seconder of the confidence motion on the Perak Mentri Besar, Ahmad Faizal Azumu, both voting against their own motion.

The confidence vote was moved  by  the UMNO Assemblyman for Pengkalan Bharu Abdul Manaf Hashim and seconded by the UMNO Assemblyman for Kenering Mohd Tarmizi Idris, but both voted against the motion.

The result of the vote is 48-10 against  the motion and a new Perak Mentri Besar will have to be found.

It would be interesting to find out where else in the legislatures of the world does the proposer and seconder vote against their own motion.

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December 29 Kelantan State Assembly special sitting to implement hudud will be a point of no return for both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat

The December 29 Kelantan State Assembly special sitting to implement hudud will be a point of no return for both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat.

The stand of the first three Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn were crystal clear, that hudud laws are at variance with Malaysia’s Constitution that Malaysia is a secular state.

This was also the position of the other MCA and MIC founding fathers of the nation, Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Tun Tan Siew Sin and Tun V.T. Sambanthan – as well as Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu who was the second MCA President in 1958 and subsequently left MCA and became the second President of Gerakan from 1969 – 1980.

Indisputably, this was also the position of all the founding fathers of Malaysia from Sabah and Sarawak.

If the Kelantan UMNO Assemblymen are allowed to vote in support of the proposal to implement hudud at the Kelantan State Assembly special sitting on Dec. 29, the whole character and basis of Barisan Nasional would have undergone its most radical transformation in the history of the ruling government coalition in the country.
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Opposition leader: Land for Taib’s brother? Why?

By Ang Ngan Toh
Jun 25, 11 | MalaysiaKini

Bukit Assek state assemblyperson Wong Ho Leng has demanded to know why a huge parcel of land was alienated to a company owned by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s brother, Ibrahim, and Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Tiong Thai King.

Wong, also Sarawak state legislative assembly opposition leader, said Ibrahim and Tiong, who is also Lanang member of parliament, are already “multi billionaires”.

The 3,000-acre land should have been alienated to PJ Green Field Sdn Bhd, a reputable agriculture company, and not to Victoria Square Development Sdn Bhd, he said. Read the rest of this entry »

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Watch your words! Wong warns S’wak opposition

By Joseph Tawie
June 25, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today

KUCHING: Second Minister of Finance Wong Soon Koh issued a stern warning to the opposition to behave themselves in the state assembly or they will be referred to the Committee of Privileges of the Dewan Undangan Negeri.

“I don’t mind being be called a ‘motion king’ if I must refer them to the committee of privileges,” he said to reporters. Read the rest of this entry »

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Motions on money politics and ‘corrupt’ CM rejected

By Joseph Tawie
June 23, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today

KUCHING: The Sarawak Legislative Assembly Speaker Asfia Awang Nasar yesterday rejected bids by opposition DAP to debate money politics in the recent state elections and allegations of corruption against Chief Minister Taib Mahmud.

Citing various ground to support his decision, Asfia rejected Opposition Leader Wong Ho Leng’s move to table the two motions.

In tabling his first motion, Wong who is Bukit Assek assemblyman said that vote buying had been rampant in Tamin constituency in the April 16 election as alleged by Malaysian election observers. Read the rest of this entry »

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Land Bill aimed at ‘punishing natives’

By Joseph Tawie
June 23, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today

KUCHING: The bill to bar Sarawak natives from seeking legal redress for grievances involving their native customary rights (NCR) to land is draconian, says Sarawak DAP.

State chairman Wong Ho Leng said the move clearly showed that the government of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud was bent on depriving the natives of their legal rights to their land.

“This bill is draconian in the topmost degree. It is unfair to stop the natives from going to court, even when they receive no dividends or benefits from joint ventures (to develop the land).

“It is a draconian law which only the Barisan Nasional (BN) has the audacity to introduce,” he said when debating the Land Custody and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011 at the 10th State Legislative Assembly sitting. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ready for psychological warfare

By Samuel Aubrey
June 20, 2011 | Borneo Post

KUCHING: State BN elected representatives have braced themselves for a possible massive ‘onslaught’ by the opposition during the eight-day State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting which starts today.

Chief Minister and State BN chairman Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud told reporters yesterday that they (BN assemblymen) were now prepared to respond to members from the opposition in the august House. Read the rest of this entry »

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Why reject my questions, Chong asks S’wak speaker

BY Ang Ngan Toh
Jun 19, 11 | MalaysiaKini

Kota Sentosa state assemblyperson Chong Chieng Jen has criticized state legislative speaker Awang Asfia Awang Nasar for rejecting two of his questions for the question and answer session of next week’s assembly meeting.

Chong, who is also the Bandar Kuching member of parliament, said the speaker rejected the two questions because they breached the august house’s Standing Order 20(1) (a), (c) and (l).

The first question was to the chief minister to state: Read the rest of this entry »

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BN strategy to muzzle PR reps and to punish Dayaks for NCR struggle in new Sarawak State Assembly?

The Barisan Nasional will be making a fatal political mistake if the new Sarawak State Assembly starts off next week on a wrong footing with a high-handed Barisan Nasional strategy to muzzle Pakatan Rakat representatives and to punish Dayaks for their Native Customary Rights (NCR) struggle.

Reports yesterday about the opening session of the 10th Sarawak State Assembly beginning on Monday are disturbing for if true, they point to an intransigent Sarawak state government which refuses to acknowledge the wind of change blowing hard and strong in the state and the aspirations of Sarawakians for accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance.

There is yesterday’s report in Free Malaysia Today entitled “Behave or face consequence, opposition reps warned”, where strong language was used, for instance, quoting second Finance Minister Datuk Wong Soon Koh as warning that the BN has 55 while the Opposition only 16 State Assembly members when uttering the threat: “We know how to deal with them”. Read the rest of this entry »

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Behave or face consequence, opposition reps warned

By Joseph Tawie
June 17, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today

KUCHING: The 16 elected representives forming Sarawak’s opposition front will not have much room to manoeuvre themselves in the inaugural 10th State Legislative Assembly sitting begining Monday given the warnings issued by Barian Nasional leaders in recent days.

One can only assume that despite public declarations of ‘confidence’, the ruling coalition is somewhat rattled by the heavy presence of the artilery-filled opposition in the August house. Read the rest of this entry »

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Speaker bars ‘question’ on Taib-linked property

By Joseph Tawie
June 17, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today

KUCHING: The Sarawak legislative assembly Speaker has rejected a request by a newly elected representative for details of a proposed development by Monarda Sdn Bhd, in the BDC Kuching district area.

Monarda is owned by Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s son and daughters.

Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei said he received a letter from the Speaker’s office informing him that his written question on the matter, which was submitted for the next week assembly’s sitting, has been rejected. The assembly sits from June 20-23. Read the rest of this entry »

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Farce and fiasco of 24-hr resignation of Titi Tinggi Assemblyman exposes total breakdown of authority of MCA leadership

The farce and fiasco of the 24-hour resignation of the MCA Perlis Assemblyman for Titi Tinggi, Yip Sun Onn, exposes the total breakdown of authority of the MCA leadership.

There was none from anyone of the Three Kingdom camps of the MCA leadership who could reach and influence Yip, which had to be done by the Umno leaders, involving not only the Perlis Mentri Besar, Datuk Seri Dr. Md Isa Sabu, the Perlis Speaker Datuk Yazid Mat but also the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

No wonder Yazid as the Speaker made the most eloquent remark last evening to the Malaysian Insider reporter “I am very tired. I think what I said is enough. The seat is not vacant” when refusing to further comment on Yip’s case apart from confirming that he had received an SMS from Yip informing him of his retraction.

Poor Yazid and the Perlis UMNO Mentri Besar, who appeared to bear the fullest brunt on the pressures arising from Yip’s letter of resignation – when it should be the MCA leaders but who appeared to be completely impotent in the matter.
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Once Perlis Speaker has confirmed receipt of Titi Tinggi Assemblyman Yip Sun Onn’s resignation, it cannot be retracted or it could be challenged in a court of law

It’s a political bombshell – the resignation of Titi Tinggi Assemblyman from Perlis, Yip Sun Onn after he was removed from the state executive council and replaced with Indera Kayangan assemblyman Dr. Por Choo Chor last Friday because of MCA’s “Three Kingdom” factional infighting.

But it is also a legal bombshell – for once Perlis Speaker, Yazid Mat has confirmed receipt of Yip’s letter of resignation (which he has done to more than one media), Yip’s letter of resignation cannot be retracted or it could be challenged in a court of law.

Various parties, including the Speaker, the Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Isa Sabu and the Perlis MCA Chief Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, are trying to persuade Yip to reconsider his resignation – as reported by various printed and online media.

But this is too late. Once Yip’s resignation letter had been received by the Speaker, it cannot be retracted and if Yip tries to do so, his status as State Assemblyman could be challenged in a court of law, as Yip would be an unlawful State Assemblyman from the date of his resignation and the Speaker would be acting unlawfully in allowing the resignation letter to be retracted.
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Khir Toyo – Suspend him from Selangor State Assembly but not his assemblyman’s allowances

The Selangor State Assembly should not suspend Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd Khir Toyo’s state assemblyman allowances even if it endorses the Selangor State Assembly Rights and Privileges Committee recommendations to punish and suspend the former Selangor Mentri Besar from the Assembly for grave breach of privileges.

The Selangor State Assembly Rights and Privileges Committee has recommended that Khir be suspended for a year from the state assembly without state assemblyman’s allowances and privileges for not attending an inquiry conducted by the state’s Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) in March on the disbursement of state agency funds to Balis – the Wives of Selangor Assemblymen and MPs Welfare and Charity Organisation.

Khir is also found guilty of three other charges of making disparaging remarks and negative statements about Selcat in the media and on his blog, with the recommended sentence of six months’ suspension each, with all the suspensions to run concurrently. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ganesan’s presence caused and contributed to State Assembly ruckus

By P Ramakrishnan | President Aliran
18 May 2009

The claim by self-proclaimed Speaker of the Perak State Assembly, R Ganesan, that he had no choice but to summon the police into the House at the height of the ruckus during the May 7 sitting, is dubious and deceiving (Sunday Star 17 May 2009). There is no merit in his claim.

In the first instance, his entry into and his very presence in the Assembly is questionable. How on earth did Ganesan get into the Assembly? The Assembly building was out of bounds to all except the elected members of the Assembly.

There was a police cordon to prevent all the others from entering the Assembly. A 500 metre no-access zone was declared and anyone found anywhere near this perimeter were either chased away or were arrested when they resisted the police orders.

Even Perak Members of Parliament were denied access to the Assembly. Veteran MP Lim Kit Siang was refused entry into the building in spite of the fact that he had come with the invitation letter from the Speaker to attend the Assembly sitting.
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