The just concluded Dewan sitting has left a bitter taste in my mouth. I said so as I felt deprived from doing a good job as I should but the situation, unfortunately, was not favourable to me.
Till today, I felt baffled by the Acting Speaker over-reaction to my speech. I felt that he was overzealous in his job as a speaker or maybe being new, he was a bit nervous so he did not listen to my explanation even when I told him I will move on.
Whatever it is, I wondered if I were being ‘punished’ for speaking too much in the last sitting thus I was being ‘targeted’ this time.
When the Acting Speaker called my name that Friday, I already dread that something unpleasant was going to happen. As I went into my second paragraph stating this: I hope that the BN government would not abuse the august house as a tool to stifle the opposition’s voice. Do not use the house as a place to get rid of us thought the Standing Order which could be used for both sides. People are extremely angry… (interrupted)
Acting Tuan Speaker: Honorable Member for Pending, I think you do not comment because Tuan speaker allows both to speak.
Me: Sorry, I don’t get you. What were you saying?
Acting Tuan Speaker: Tuan Speaker allows both sides of the house to speak so you cannot comment on Tuan speaker.
Me: Alright, alright, okay. People are extremely angry to see the BN ministers and its members for suspending us one by one in the last term. There is no need to suspend or fear us. You can be assured the more you kick us out from Dewan, more likely than not by next term, we from Pakatan Rakyat will sit on your side replacing your role. Let us do our job. If we do not perform, the people who voted us in will vote us out.
When the Motion King sent us out, the people voted more of us from PR to be in the august house. Whatever, I do hope the Motion King do realize that SUPP are left with only six members in the house and we PR has 15 members now. So Motion King can say whatever he wants but the numbers do count. 15 Vs 6 is a huge gap.
Tuan Speaker, the BN always boast of being democratic. Prove to us by having the sound system on instead of playing Deejay … (interruption).
Acting Tuan Speaker: Honorable Member for Pending, Honorable Member for Pending, please Honorable member for Pending, if you keep on, I will have to ask you to stop okay.
Me: Okay, never mind, I will move to another point, I will move to another point.
Acting Tuan Speaker: This is a serious statement.
Me: Tuan Speaker, a year had gone by since the Sibu by-election, but a majority of those who paid excess premium have yet to get back their hard-earned money.
Acting Tuan speaker: Honourable Member for Pending, Okay, I stop you from now on, since you wouldn’t listen to the ruling since you are not listening and acting, you please sit down!
Me: Not only were the names printed wrong and a cheque made...(interruption)
Acting Tuan Speaker: Please sit down, sit down! No, I have made my ruling. She sits down. You don’t have a chance anymore. I reject because she refuse to listen to what I said. She did keep on. You keep on. No, all sit down. No. no. no more. No more!
Okay. You just keep on, but, you would not listen. I am being very fair. Now, let me. Sit down! No! let, I have already made my ruling because she refuse to listen. Okay, you did not listen. Just now you would not listen. I said don’t keep on mentioning that you have to get the Dewan’s expunged. Okay. No, no. I was looking here because she is speaking. Okay, okay, so all those words you withdrawn and expunged. Okay, all those and any comments about the house or the speaker will be expunged. Now I give you five minutes only.
Me: It is not on? Okay on the (inaudible). You don’t play with the sound system. Okay. Tuan speaking during the Sarawak 10th State election… (interruption).
Acting Tuan Speaker: I am not an experience deejay.
That was part of what I experienced that day at the Dewan. I try to cover as many paragraphs as possible but I managed only 12. Then the Acting speaker came on again.
Acting Tuan Speaker: Ahli Yang Berhormat, you have one minute left. Only one minute left.
Then he went on and on not giving me time to speak. The rest of the conclusion of my speech ends like this when he turns off and on the sound system:
Acting Tuan Speaker: I give you five minutes just now. It is already over. Okay
Me: shockingly, there is an additional agreement ….(interruption)
Acting Tuan Speaker: Please sit down. Please sit down
Me: No, I have 15 minutes
Tuan Speaker: No, No, You are living on my hospitality just now. Actually, you should be sitting down.
Me: How could you do this?
Acting Tuan Speaker: So you must sit down now. Please
Me: I concluded this point.
Acting Tuan Speaker: okay, okay…
Me: I conclude this point. I hope the… (interruption)
Acting Tuan Speaker: Just one final conclusion, short conclusion…
I am putting this up as I wanted the people to see how things were in Dewan. Things can get so irrational that I wondered why I am allowed the time to speak on the hospitality of the Speaker. I am not going to comment too much but I want the people themselves to be the judge of this. This was taken from the Hansard.
I only want to point out one important lesson learned from this: Vote Pakatan Rakyat in as the government next election and let us not only say what you want to be heard, but change the things as what you want it to be, to give Sarawakians a better life through a fair and just government.
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