Sunday will be the most shameful Mother’s Day in the nation’s history.

This is because the dignity of women had been dishonoured in Parliament with Barisan Nasional MPs thumping the table in glee and joy when DAP MP for Batu Gajah Fong Po Kuan failed in her effort to redeem the dignity of Malaysian women and salvage the good name of Parliament.

Today is a day of shame for Parliament, when Barisan Nasional MPs abused their 91% parliamentary majority to gang up, support and defend two of their number, Datuk Mohd Said Yusuf (Jasin) and Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan), who had made vulgar, sexist and offensive remarks against Po Kuan yesterday when DAP MPs raised the subject of Parliament ceiling leaks after a RM100 million renovation works — saying “Batu Gajah pun bocor tiap-tiap bulan pun bocor juga”.

The Speaker, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib returned to the Dewan Rakyat Chamber after lunch recess at 2.30 p.m. to reject Po Kuan’s application to move a privilege motion to refer Mohd Said and Bung Mokhtar to the Committee of Privileges on the ground that Po Kuan had not invoked Standing Order 26(1)(p) with regard to the alleged breach “when it occurred” as required — i.e. yesterday itself.

I asked Ramli whether before making his decision to reject Po Kuan’s application on a technicality, he had referred to Erskine May’s Parliamentary Practice, the authoritative work on parliamentary practices and procedures, where it is stated very clearly that “when it occurred” in S.O. 26(1)(p) had been interpreted in most Commonwealth Parliaments to mean “at the first available opportunity”.

In the case in point, when Mohd Said and Bung Mokhtar made the vulgar, sexist and offensive remarks, DAP MPs could not hear them both because of the din and pandemonium at the time and being seated far away from the duo. However, they were heard distinctly by reporters and other BN MPs who sat near the duo.

For Po Kuan, raising the privilege motion this morning was her “first available opportunity” after reading press reports. Read the rest of this entry »

Parliament will vote at 2.30 pm today to decide whether to refer two Barisan Nasional (MP) Members of Parliament, Datuk Mohd Said Yusuf (Jasin) and Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan) to the Committee of Privileges for making offensive and sexist remarks directed at the DAP MP for Batu Gajah, Fong Po Kuan in Parliament yesterday.

When Parliament began this morning, Po Kuan stood up on a point of order under Standing Order 26(1)(p) to move a privilege motion to refer the two BN MPs to the Committee of Privileges for breach of parliamentary privilege. No notice is required under S.O. 26(1)(p) when the privilege matter had to raised at the first available opportunity.

Subject of complaint – Mohd Said and Bung Mohktar had made vulgar, sexist and offensive remarks at Po Kuan when she and other DAP MPs had raised in Parliament yesterday afternoon the issue about the ceiling leaks near the media centre during heavy downpour in the morning despite a RM100 million renovation bill.

Utusan Malaysia in its report “Enam kebocoran siling dikesan di Parlimen”, recounted:

M. Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) dan Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) yang turut mencelah kemudian berkata, kebocoran itu membazirkan wang rakyat.

Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) yang bangun mengambil bahagian secara sinis berkata:”Mana ada bocor, Batu Gajah pun tiap-tiap bulan pun bocor juga.”

This was also reported by Sin Chew Daily and China Press. Sin Chew reported that Mohd Said made the derogatory remark that “MP for Batu Gajah tiap-tiap bulan pun bocor juga” while China Press reported that Mohd Said was the first to make the sexist and offensive remark which was followed by Bung Mohtar.

Both Sin Chew and China Press observed that probably because there was so much din and pandemonium in the House at the time that DAP MPs did not hear the vulgar, sexist and offensive remarks made by the two BN MPs at Po Kuan — which was why there had been no protest by DAP MPs in the House at the time. Read the rest of this entry »