‘Walkout an act of disgrace’

‘NO RESPECT’: Opposition MPs have brought shame to Parliament, says PM

PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday led Barisan Nasional representatives in hitting out at opposition lawmakers, who had walked out of Parliament in protest during his tabling of the 2017 Budget yesterday.

He said it was an act of disgrace against the country’s parliamentary institution.

He said everyone, regardless of political beliefs and ideologies, should respect the country’s democratic process.

“We must respect the democratic process and all the values tied to it. This is important because even in advanced nations, people have different views but do not act this way.

“This (the walkout) has brought shame to the Parliament,” he said after the budget presentation.

Najib, who is also finance minister, said he wanted the people to make their own judgment on the opposition parliamentarians’ action as they had intentionally undermined the country’s spirit of parliamentary democracy.

“I think what is important is for the people to judge their behaviour and decide when the time comes. Despite our differing views, we must respect one another and be polite.

“We, as leaders, must display good behaviour so that we are respected. It does not matter whether we are from the government or opposition.”

Earlier, the tabling of the 2017 Budget was disrupted when opposition members of Parliament suddenly stood up to interrupt Najib’s speech.

It all started when Najib said there were allegations that the 2017 Budget was of no substance and that the government had insufficient funds.

“In fact, an opposition leader stated that Malaysia will face a difficult economic situation this year.

“Now, who is without substance? Where did the storm originate? Who is the one putting up a show?”

The opposition MPs stood up in protest and created a ruckus despite repeated calls by House Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to sit down, and they only relented when Pandikar warned to eject them from the Parliament.

The prime minister, who maintained his cool throughout despite being forced to pause and sit down for a while, chided the opposition MPs and said the people could now see their real behaviour.

Pandikar expressed disappointment over the walkout and described it as a clear violation of the parliamentary rules.

“In the nine years I have been serving, I feel very disappointed today. According to the Standing Order 41 (1), when an MP is speaking, others must be silent and not interfere impolitely. What I saw just now are MPs, who had claimed to be righteous, behaving rudely.”

Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the budget speech was a procedure which must be respected as it was something that would determine the livelihood of the people.

“I am disappointed that the opposition MPs have shown that they are without manners. They have the opportunity to debate, evaluate and criticise the budget in the coming sessions. There is no excuse in justifying their conduct,” said Rahman, who is also BN strategic communications director.

Umno Youth deputy chief Khairul Azwan Harun said the walkout was a “humiliating” and “childish” act.

“It is as if they (the opposition MPs) are unaware of the Parliament’s procedures and they cannot differentiate between a tabling and a debate.

“Their action reflects badly on their credibility as parliamentarians.”

Khairul said those who had walked out had disappointed their constituents, adding that the MPs from Pas were more well-behaved by not joining the walkout.

In Kuala Terengganu, Menteri Besar Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman said the prime minister used facts and figures when tabling the budget to rubbish all allegations by the opposition that the country would go bankrupt.

Razif said the walkout showed how desperate they were to create chaos.

“The opposition has accused the government of planning to increase the Goods and Services Tax. However, Najib has denied it when presenting the budget.”

National Professors’ Council’s political, security and international affairs cluster head Professor Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak said it was inappropriate for the opposition MPs to walk out during the budget presentation.

“The government is presenting the budget for the benefit of the people. The question of whether the budget is agreed upon is another matter. They must respect the budget presentation.”

He said the opposition had also set a bad example for the public.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysiaclaimed that the opposition staged the walkout after Najib was “unable” to give an assurance that the proposals in the 2017 Budget could be delivered. Additional reporting by Sim Bak Heng and Amin Mokhtar