Press Statement
by DAP Secretary General and MP for Kota Melaka, Kerk Kim Hock
in Petaling Jaya
on Friday, October 18, 2002

Frontbenchers' lackadaisical attitude: Call on the Prime Minister to discipline three Deputy Ministers and one Parliamentary Secretary for their lackadaisical attitude and lack of seriousness and professionalism in discharging their parliamentary duties

The present session of Parliamentary meetings, which began on 9.9.2002, has seen the display of lackadaisical attitude and the deplorable lack of seriousness and professionalism on the part of three Deputy Ministers and one Parliamentary Secretary when answering questions in the Parliament.

This is perhaps unprecedented as far as the number of frontbenchers involved in concerned .It is therefore time that the Prime Minister Dato Seri Mahathir Mohamad must step in to stop such irresponsible, even disgraceful Ministerial behaviour so as to protect the government's image and the House's dignity.

The four frontbenchers are the two Deputy Ministers and Parliamentary Secretary of the Home Ministry, Datuk Chor Chee Heong , Datuk Zainal Abidin Zin and Datuk Abu Zahar Isnin ; and the Deputy Housing Minister Datuk M Kayveas.

On 11.9.2002, when answering my question on the additional summons (POL 257 summons issued under section 115 of the 1987 Road Transport Act) already issued and subsequently cancelled by the Police, Datuk Chor had misled the Parliament by saying that some of the notices could not be served on the motorists due to their address problem and because some motorists had gone overseas to study or work.

I retorted that this was a lie because all such POL 257 summons were issued by the Police and handed to the motorists face to face during Ops Warta II and hence, he question of sending the notices via registered mail did not arise at all. I also said that it was ridiculous for Chor to say that the summons cancellation was only temporary.

Till today, Chor had chosen not to rebut or perhaps he simply could not rebut the truth.

On 8.10.2002, when replying to my points on the same issue, Datuk Zainal Abididn Zin who had obviously not finished replying to me the day before chose to seek refuge under the Standing Orders by discontinuing abruptly his reply to me .I refused to accept such irresponsible behavior and persisted that he should answer but I was finally suspended from the Parliament for ignoring the Speaker's Orders to sit down.

Again, till today, many questions remain unanswered.

On 16.10.2002, the Home Ministry Parliamentary Secretary, Datuk Abu Zahar Isnin, when replying an oral question in Parliament, said that the 13-year-old Malaysian girl who was allegedly raped at the Menggatal immigration detention center was not a person of good character.

His remarks drew protests from Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng who said that the character of a rape victim could not be questioned.

As a veteran politician, why should Abu Zahar make such unfair, unnecessary and even irresponsible remarks against the girl who was an alleged rape victim?

Yesterday, the deputy Housing Minister Datuk M Kayveas was made to retract his remarks in Parliament when he said, " When we came to the Dewan and give them the right answer, they say that the reply is not accurate. But when I lie a little, only then they can accept the answer."

Such remarks were totally shocking, to say the least.

It is clear that the four frontbenchers have displayed lackadaisical and irresponsible attitude. I therefore call on the Prime Minister to take the necessary disciplinary actions against them.

While the Opposition MP s can always move RM10 cut in salary motions to censure them, the Barisan Nasional MPs will, in the Barisan Nasional family spirit of helping those in the family rather than the truth , come to their defence . Hence, the Prime Minister's intervention to put things right in the Parliament is necessary.