Wong referred to Committee of Privileges over ‘DUN reform’ proposal
WONG KING WEI ( DAPPadungan) was referred to the Committee of Privileges of the august house following an overwhelming 56 votes in favour of the motion yesterday.
State Legislative Assembly ( DUN) Speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar moved the motion following some institutional reforms proposed by Wong in his debate speech last Friday, which is said to have challenged the impartiality of the Speaker.
Wong received a dismal support of only seven votes against the motion.
He was not given any opportunity to defend himself before the House arrived at the decision to refer him to the Committee.
As such, the DAP lawmaker, who wanted the House to hear him out, began to speak at the top of his lungs even with the microphone switched off.
Mohd Asfia refused to grant him the floor and ordered him to offer his defence before the Committee.
Wong chose to ignore the order and continued to raise his voice at the Speaker, expecting to be given a chance to defend himself.
Mohd Asfia then told Wong not to interrupt and invited the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah to start delivering his winding- up speech, but Wong did not stop yelling in the chamber.
This situation prompted Mohd Asfia to order the security personnel of the House to escort the DAP man out of the chamber.
“You defend yourself before the committee,” stressed Mohd Asfia.
Wong did not seem to heed the Speaker’s advice and carried on with his shouting, which is believed to have riled Mohd Asfia who put his foot down, saying: “Go out! Escort him out!”
“No, this is not right,” Wong could be heard saying over the communication system.
Before he was escorted out of the chamber, Mohd Asfia also made his ruling to eject Wong from the sitting for one day ( Nov 12).
At a news conference later, Wong explained that he was referred to the Committee because of the ‘ DUN reform’ he proposed in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of DUN this year.
He said each member of the House should be given a fair chance to raise and speak like what is exercised in the Parliament.
He recalled that at the old DUN Complex, members of the august House could turn on and off the microphone on their own unlike at the present DUN Complex where the control of the communication system is centralised and managed by the Speaker.
“This is undemocratic and infringing the spirit of democracy,” lamented the DAP lawmaker.
Wong asserted that every elected representative ought to be given the opportunity to speak up in the House for the constituents who voted for them as presently, they were not allowed to speak without the consent of the Speaker.
He also pointed out that none of the motions submitted by the opposition bench had seen the light of day in the House, saying not only were motions submitted by opposition members rejected but they did not even get to the stage for debate.
“The Speaker is always creative enough to have different reasons to strike out motions submitted by the opposition members.”
Wong said the Speaker should not be answering questions on behalf of any minister, which according to him is certainly not allowed as under the Standing Order, the Speaker cannot move any motion.
“Only ministers and members of the House can move a motion,” he said, adding that he raised his voice to ask for a chance to defend himself and not asking the House to withdraw the decision.
He said he should have been given the chance to defend himself but Mohd Asfia insisted that he should do so before the Committee.
As such, he said not only did Mohd Asfia take offence at what he had proposed, but had no room to weigh a proposal.
“The Speaker is the black mark of the 150th anniversary of DUN Sarawak, which is the oldest Dewan in Malaysia,” quipped Wong.
He said the House should have opted for the reform proposed by him rather than going for fishing competition, chess competition, photography competition and dinner to mark the 150th anniversary of the DUN.
“I have raised a lot of issues and I want to get clarification from the ministers. But now, such right has been taken away from me. The decision is most unfair,” added Wong.