Motion on gun-toting rep shot down, Pakatan livid

The Negri Sembilan state assembly yesterday rejected emergency motions to discuss an allegation that a BN state assemblyperson had misused a firearm and that dirty water was being piped to three towns.  
 
Pakatan Rakyat is up in arms over the rejection, claiming that speaker Razak Mansor unfairly invoked a stipulation in the Standing Order to frustrate the two emergency motions. 
 
According to opposition leader Anthony Loke (left), the speaker invoked Section 16 of the Standing Orders which stated that the motions needed half the assemblypersons present in order to be accepted. 
 
A vote was called and the results saw all 15 from the Pakatan bench voting for the motions and 19 from the BN bench voting against them.  
 
“That means in order that the emergency motions can be tabled and discussed, at least 17 state assemblypersons must vote to support the emergency motions.  
 
"We in Pakatan all voted for the motions but we have just 15 state assemblypersons, while all the remaining 19 BN state assemblypersons voted against the motions," said Loke at a press conference after the sitting. 
 
Cover-up? 
 
He said that BN had voted against the motions because they were trying to cover up the firearm incident and were ignoring the plight of the residents faced with tainted water supply. 
 
Loke had filed an emergency motion to refer a state assemblyperson to the rights and privileges committee over allegations that he had misused his firearms licence.  
 
"All state assemblypersons have the privilege to have a firearm. He might have misused the weapon. I didn't say he is guilty. I'm merely requesting for an investigation because if it was abuse, the licence can be withdrawn," he said. 

On Sept 17, Loke had told the press that there could be a cover-up attempt on the shooting but the police have denied this. Details of the alleged shooting are very sketchy. 

At the same time, Loke said he had made the matter public in the interest of fairness because the police were probing Anwar Ibrahim's bodyguard for flashing his pistol in public.
 
The other emergency motion was tabled by Lukut state assemblyperson Chai Tong Chai, from PKR, on the foul-smelling water being piped to residents in Chuah, Bukit Pelanduk and Lukut for two months.