By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 28, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang today accused the police of violating parliamentary privileges when they appeared in the House this morning to record statements from two opposition MPs on the Bersih rally.
The senior parliamentarian said he had never before witnessed such an incident since he became an MP in 1969.
“I am shocked and outraged that the police have shown up in Parliament today to record statements from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parliamentarians – Azmin Ali (PKR – Gombak) and Mohd Firdaus Jaafar (PAS – Jerai).
“This is the first time within my memory as an MP since 1969 of any policeman invading the parliamentary precincts to take statements from any MP,” he wrote in a statement today.
Lim called on Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to tell Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar to stop his men from repeating the incident in the future.
He also urged the House’s Rights and Privileges Committee to convene an emergency meeting to condemn the purported “violation” by the police.
“MPs from both sides of the divide should also raise the issue of police violating parliamentary privileges and precincts, invading the privacy of Parliament to take police statements from MPs, at Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and International Parliamentary Union (IPU) conferences to compare parliamentary practices in Malaysia with Commonwealth countries as well as with the rest of the world,” he said.
Earlier this morning, Azmin and Mohd Firdaus were questioned by the police at the Parliament lobby over their ceramah speeches made earlier this month where the purportedly spoke about the upcoming Bersih rally.
Azmin said the appearance of the police in Parliament had been unexpected but Mohd Firdaus admitted to reporters that he had invited them to meet him in the House.
When approached today, PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the police had shown “disrespect” to the duties of the MPs by appearing in Parliament to record their statements.
“But in this 1 Malaysia, anything can happen so it does not surprise me,” he said.