Media Statement

by DAP Wanita Chairwoman and MP for Bukit Mertajam, Chong Eng
in Petaling Jaya
on Wednesday, October 9, 2002

Three-day suspension of Kerk from the Dewan Rakyat regrettable

DAP regrets the decision of the Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker, Datuk Muhammad Abdullah to instruct MP for Kota Melaka and DAP Secretary General, Kerk Kim Hock to leave the House and to suspend him for three days.

The Dewan Rakyat is a place where elected representatives voice the grouses of the people as well as the forum where government ministers give replies to these questions. Therefore, no elected representatives should be chased out of the House merely because he/she insists on a satisfactory answer from the minister concerned.

Some ministers and their deputy rely on the excuse of having the right not to answer to refuse to reply to the questions of Opposition members of Parliament. This has become a negative culture and more and more ministers and deputy ministers have refused to give way for questions and clarifications from Opposition elected representatives on the pretext of lack of time. As the whole purpose of Parliament meeting is to ensure government accountability, the proceedings in the House have largely lost their meaning as a result of this state of affairs.

There were incidents of Barisan Nasional backbenchers making vulgar and distasteful remarks such as the MP for Kinabatangan, Bung Mokhtar who had used a four-letter word and phrases with sexual connotations and the Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government, Datuk M. Kayveas, who had used locker-room language and refused to withdraw the words he uttered even after the Deputy Speaker, Muhammad had advised him to do so. Yet no stern action was taken against them unlike the harsh penalty meted out to Kerk.

The Dewan Rakyat speakers should conduct the meeting of the House fairly and effectively. They should ensure that there is sufficient time to debate all important issues and that all questions raised by members of the House are adequately answered. If a Member of Parliament can be chased out of the House and suspended for three days just because he insisted on a satisfactory answer, then what is the purpose of spending so much money on Parliament meetings?

Kerk had insisted that the Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Zainal Abidin Zin give him adequate answers on the issue of additional traffic summons. He had alleged that Zainal’s answer was not reflective of the actual situation. Zainal had said that the additional traffic summons were cancelled due to appeal but the other Deputy Minister, Datuk Chor Chee Heung had on Sep 12, said that it was a temporary cancellation and that the police could still pursue the traffic offenders in future. Moreover, a police spokesman had announced that the summonses were never cancelled. What Kerk had tried to do in Parliament was to demand that Zainal explain clearly which of the three contrasting versions should be believed, or in other words, which of the three was lying, Chor, Zainal or the police spokesman! Where else can Kerk press for an answer besides from Parliament?

The view of Kerk on the issue is that in reality, the additional police summonses were illegal and that was the reason why the authorities did not pursue the matter after many public complaints were made. When traffic offenders went to police counters to settle their additional summonses, they were informed by police officers that they did not have to pay as the summonses had been automatically cancelled.

Kerk was convinced that the police and the Home Ministry had refused to admit that the additional traffic summonses issued were illegal because by doing so, it would imply that they had made a mistake and this would certainly affect their image. In addition, it may cause the thousands of traffic offenders who had paid the additional summonses to request for a refund.

DAP believes that what Kerk had attempted to do in Parliament was to pursue the truth in the interest of thousands of road-users who are affected by the additional summons. The Deputy Home Minister should have the courage to face up to reality and admit that the police have made a mistake for to err is only human. Parliament should not be a place that abets a minister to avoid having to account for the truth.