BN says up to Speaker, Nazri to decide Tian Chua’s status

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

June 14, 2011

Bung Mokhtar has now said that BN MPs would not be “pushing” for the issue, after meeting with Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia (pic). — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — BN MPs will now leave it to Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz to decide whether to allow a motion to debate Chua Tian Chang’s MP status.

Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs had earlier decided to table a motion to debate Chua Tian Chang’s MP status in Parliament, saying that the PKR leader was no longer qualified to hold the post due to a conviction.

Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BNBBC) deputy chairman Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin told The Malaysian Insider that the matter was decided during a meeting with BN leaders yesterday.

But Bung Mokhtar has now said that BN MPs would not be “pushing” for the issue, after meeting with Pandikar just now.

“We have decided that the Speaker and Nazri as minister in charge of Parliament should decide the matter.

“So we let Nazri handle this, whatever he says or does is our stand, and we (will) support it,” the Kinabatangan MP told The Malaysian Insider.

Nazri had stated that he was against any motion to debate Chua’s MP status in Parliament, and would do all he could to stop such a move.

The minister in the prime minister’s department said today that no MP had a right to disqualify another fellow parliamentarian, and that only the Speaker could decide such matters.

The Court of Appeal had last month rejected Chua’s appeal against a conviction for biting a policeman based on the deputy public prosecutor (DPP)’s objection that it was filed after the 14-day window.

The decision effectively upholds last year’s High Court decision to uphold his conviction and sentence of a RM2,000 fine in default of two months’ jail, thus throwing his seat status into question.

Under Article 48 of the Federal Constitution and preceding cases, Chua stands disqualified as an MP because he was fined “not less than” RM2,000.

Nazri also said that the High Court’s decision needed to be taken into account.

“If you take the judge’s statement, the penalty was reduced so that Tian Chua would not lose his seat. Take cognizance of the statement.

“Also after three years, there will be no more by-elections. If we disqualify him, you are denying the people in Batu of having a representative … that is why I am against any move to disqualify Tian Chua,” the minister in the prime minister’s department said.