I have been mystified all this morning – why did the PAS/UMNO/MCA/MIC Members of Parliament return to the Parliamentary Chambers to be sworn in if they if they really believe that Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof had been improperly elected as Speaker of Parliament?

Led by PAS MPs, the UMNO/MCA/MIC Members of Parliament, except for Khairy Jamaluddin and Anifah Aman, walked out of Parliament in the first few minutes of the 14th Parliament, which appears to set to tone for a most negative, divisive and destructive performance by the Opposition in the 14th Parliament – unless the various party leaders, including the PAS President, Datuk Seri Awang Hadi and the UMNO President, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi could give a cogent, reasonable and acceptable reason for such double standards.

If PAS and UMNO leaders cannot give a cogent, reasonable and acceptable explanation, I do not expect their MCA and MIC counterparts to be able to do so, and I shall not ask them at all.

Althogh I felt a sense of déjà vu with the former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi staging a walkout of Parliament in the first few minutes of the 14th Parliament, I would advise them not to emulate the actions of the former Opposition blindly, that they must have cogent, coherent, reasonable and acceptable reasons for their walk-outs, unlike their ridiculous walkout this morning.

There is threat by Najib’s acolytes to mar the second day of the 14th Parliament tomorrow, which is the official opening of the first session of the 14th Parliament by the Yang di Pertuan Agong, based on fake news and false information in an attempt to revive the toxic but failed politics of race, religion, hate, fear and lies spearded by UMNO/BN in the 14th General Elections.

Malaysians will judge whether these actions by Najib’s acolytes are designed to promote national unity or calculcated to incite imaginary fears to poison racial and racial relations which can only result tin greater racial and religious polarisation and national division.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Monday, 16th July 2018)

Its déjà vu – the walkout by PAS MPs leading Barisan Nasional MPs during the first business of the 14th Parliament on the election of the Parliament Speaker.

Three matters are worth noting about this walkout, viz:

1. The Opposition walkout was led by PAS, with UMNO, MCA and MIC MPs meekly following suit;

2. Two UMNO MPs refuse to join in the walkout, Khairry Jamaluddin and Anifah Aman.

3. The sole MCA MP and two MIC MP tamely following the PAS-led first walkout of the 14th Parliament.

But the most significant matter is the seating arrangement for the Barisan Nasional MPs – the second placing for the former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak which means that although Najib has resigned as UMNO and BN President for the disastrous electoral results of the 14GE, where BN was booted out of power and UMNO lost its role as the political party with majority support of Malay voters, Najib is still the most powerful force in UMNO/BN although without title or position. Read the rest of this entry »