The term of Datuk Wong Foon Meng as Senate President expires yesterday on the expiry of maximum of two terms totalling six years as Senator.

I understand that the new Senate President is going to be an Umno nominee, former MP for Kuala Pilah and currently President of Majlis Bekas Wakil Rakyat (Mubarak), Tan Sri Abu Zahar Datuk Nika Ujang.

As Wong’s predecessor, Tan Sri Dr. Hamid Pawanteh served two terms comprising six years as Senate President from July 2003 to July 2009, why the MCA leadership dare not ask for Senate President to be filled by MCA nominee for the rest of two years of four months after Wong Foon Meng’s mini-term of eight months so as to make a full term of three years?

This incidence showing the increasing irrelevance of MCA even in Barisan Nasional.

In the first place, why should the appointment of Senators and Senate President be parcelled out like “spoils of office” among the Barisan Nasional component parties, which is completely against both the letter and spirit of the Merdeka Constitution.

Article 45 (2) provides for the appointment of Senators who have “rendered distinguished public service or have achieved distinction in the professions, commerce, industry, agriculture, cultural activities or social service” – but the majority of the appointed Senators do not meet this billing or they are mostly party hacks from Barisan Nasional component parties who are appointed to the Senate because they cannot get into Parliament by election and have to come in through the backdoor.

It is a matter of concern that the new Senate President is the President of Mubarak who has become an ally of of the loud-mouth President of fringe, extremist and racist Perkasa.

When have the Mubarak members, who comprise former MPs and Assemblymen, given the mandate to Abu Zahar to be an ally of Perkasa, which is now putting pressure on Umno leadership?

[Speech (3) on the first 2010 Supplementary estimates in Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday April 13, 2010]