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Husna Yusop and Giam Say Khoon at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday
‘Too many MPs have used
unparliamentary remarks’
DEPUTY Speaker Datuk
Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku
Jaafar says Datuk Tajuddin
Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir
Salak) need not retract his
unparliamentary remarks
because too many MPs have
been using unparliamentary
words since the beginning
of the current 12th
parliamentary session.
He made the decision
following Lim Kit Siang’s
(DAP- Ipoh Timur)
objection, asking the chair
to decide whether the term
“anti-Malay” which Tajuddin
had used against him on Oct
30 was unparliamentary and
if so, he should retract his
words.
Tajuddin had in his debate
labelled Lim as an anti-
Malay for allegedly “always
questioning the assistance
provided by the government
to the Malay community”.
Wan Junaidi said he
has referred to many cases
in other parliaments on
words which are considered
unparliamentary, “but
unfortunately, I could not find
anything on anti-ethnic or
anti-race in my research”.
This was greeted with
applause from the BN MPs,
to which Lim snapped back:
“What is meant by those
claps?”, following which
Wan Junaidi asked them
not to clap yet as he was not
finished.
He then said since the
parliament would not like to
encourage MPs to use words
like anti-Malay, anti-Iban
or anti-Chinese, he used his
power under Article 99 to
decide that any MP who used
such words against another
MP is considered making a
racist statement.
“I am of the opinion,
these anti-ethnic words are
racist when they were used
to address another MP. So,
Pasir Salak has made an
unparliamentary remark,” he
added.
However, he continued,
many other MPs had made
similar remarks, giving a
long list of names. They
were:
» N.Gobalakrishnan (DAP-
Padang Serai) had said: “low
moral”, “six-million-dollar
man” and “traitor” to other
MPs;
» Gobind Singh Deo (DAP-
Puchong): “you can’t control
this animal”;
» Datuk Bung Moktar Radin
(BN-Kinabatangan): “you are
big monkey”;
» Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu
Gajah): “traitor”;
» Salleh Kalbi (BN-Silam):
“penghasut besar”
» Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok
Sena): “old folk disease, grey
hair”
» Sim Tong Him (DAP-Kota
Melaka): “racist”
» Tajuddin: “penghasut”; and
» Lim: “you become deputy
minister by chance because
of your colour”.
Because of this, Wan
Junaidi said, he has decided
not to ask for a retraction
from Tajuddin but wanted
the incident to be a lesson to
all so as not to use offensive
and unparliamentary words
in the House again.
He said although
sometimes the words are
‘Jobs
to be
reserved
for locals’
pg 6
not unparliamentary per
se, when they were used
together with a certain
body language or against
another MP, they become
unparliamentary.
“Hopefully, after this, we
hear no more of such words.
Please follow the example
of Kubang Kerian (PAS
MP Salahuddin Ayub), the
ministers and also Permatang
Pauh (PKR MP Opposition
Leader Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim. They use nice, polite
and proper words when they
speak,” he added.
Meanwhile, on another
case, also raised by Lim,
Wan Junaidi said Deputy
Higher Education Minister
Datuk Idris Haron need
not be referred to the
privileges committee when
replying to a question about
the appointment of new
Universiti Malaya vice-
chancellor.
“I found no basis to say
Idris has misled the House.
Normally, there is nothing
that could prevent an MP to
comment against another
individual out of the House if
it was relevant to the matter
discussed.
“It is the purpose of the
parliamentary privilege,
guaranteed by the
standing order and federal
constitution, to give immunity
to the MPs to speak freely, if
necessary, for public interest.
“I found no elements of
insult against the former VC
(Datuk Rafiah Salim) and no
reason at all for me to refer
him to the committee,” he
said, adding the decision was
made after referring to the
Hansard and similar cases in
other countries.
| FRIDAY DECEMBER 5 2008
briefs
Show proof of Malaysian link in
Mumbai, says Rais
FOREIGN Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said evidence
must be furnished through proper procedures to prove
that Malaysians had any connection with the Mumbai
terrorist attack last week.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament lobby, he said two
investigations were currently in progress from government
agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation and non-
governmental agencies.
“The accusations of Malaysian involvement in the at-
tack came from the non-governmental agencies. However,
our local and Indian authorities have shown that there is
no link between the attack and Kuala Lumpur or any place
in Malaysia,” he added.
On Tuesday, news reports surfaced that the assailants
used Malaysian addresses to rent houses in Colaba in the
southern part of the city where they struck with AK-47
rifles and hand grenades, and that a credit card issued in
Malaysia was found on a dead terrorist.
Only 18 of 2,360 hotels have halal
certification
OUT of 2,360 hotels in the country, only 123 have
applied for halal certification from the Halal Develop-
ment Corporation (HDC), Deputy Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim
said.
Of this, 18 hotels have been certified as halal while
31 were in the process of approval. The rest were new
applications, have yet to complete their forms or in
the process of renewing their certificates.
She told Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (PAS-Rantau Pan-
jang) it is not compulsory for hotels to obtain halal
certificates but campaigns were being done by the
government through the Malaysian Association of Ho-
tels and Malaysian Association of Hotel Operators.
She also explained why some hotels refused to
apply for halal certificates.
“Some of the five-star hotels feel they have no
interest for halal certificates because they have been
recognised internationally. Some of them refused to
renovate their kitchen to meet halal requirements.
“Some of the chefs also refused to compromise
their recipes by using only halal ingredients in their
food,” she said.
2,807 graduate in Islamic studies
since 2000
AT THE DEWAN NEGARA, EDUCATION Minister Datuk Seri
Hishammuddin Hussein said Islamic teaching Institutes
nationwide have produced 2,807 graduates in various
religious disciplines since 2000. Of the total, 1,775 were
Islamic education graduates, 956 Arabic studies graduates,
60 Quran graduates and 16 rehabilitation field graduates,
he said in a written reply to a question from Mumtaz Md
Nawi. To a supplementary question by Datuk Azizah
Abd Samad, Hishammuddin said the ministry planned to
sponsor more Islamic studies and Arabic studies students
to local and foreign universities to overcome the present
shortage of religious teachers.
“Up to 2008, we have 13,471 candidates to attend J-
QAF (Jawi, Quran, Arab and Fardu Ain) courses compared
with the target of 18,566 people. – Bernama