NO CONTEST! Pakatan MPs outshine BN in current Parliament sitting

It has been the practice in past Parliaments for the ruling BN to introduce and pass Bills almost at will. A token resistance would be put up by the opposition MPs but their heart rarely seemed to be in it, for they knew they would be defeated by the BN’s numerical superiority. Not this time.

In this session, PR fights the BN on every bill, clause by clause. It is parliamentary house-to-house combat. It has revealed how poorly thought out are the BN’s bills, and how ill-drafted. Quite often, the clauses in the same bill contradict, if not each other, then some other Act, or, incredibly, the Constitution. Based on this session alone, the Attorney-General should resign in shame and leave his office with head hung low. Not that it will actually happen, in unaccountable Malaysia.

PR MPs who particularly stand out in the recent debates on the PCA and Penal Code ammendments are PKR’s N.Surendran, PAS’s Hanipa Maidin, and DAP’s Gobind Singh. Honourable mention also goes to Bukit Katil, Batu, Subang, Beruas, Lembah Pantai, Shah Alam and several others. Naturally, the lawyers are in the forefront of the battle as the major bills so far relate to the Penal Code.

BN’s Ministers and Deputy Ministers seem taken aback by this unyielding defence of the people’s freedoms. Quite often, they appear lost for answers and leave important questions unanswered. In future they should consider preparing for Parliament or they will continue to look like stunned fools in full public view. Every question they leave unanswered is another reason to vote against them in the next election.

Junaidi pinned by Surendran

In today’s session, the Home Ministry’s Wan Junaidi was like a deer caught in headlights as his Ministry was crucified by N.Surendran for the many custodial deaths in police lock-ups. Attempting to accuse Surendran of being over-dramatic got him another tongue-lashing from the Padang Serai MP.

And then it was Puchong reading out Uthaya Kumar’s letter on the atrocious conditions in our prisons. Wan Junaidi was clearly not up to the task and he attempted to take refuge in the excuse that he had only had his job for 4 months. Yet the very next moment he was using the fact that BN MP’s are a collection of nodding rubber-stamps to get the clearly flawed bill passed. Why, in that case, have a Parliament at all? Najib Razak might as well rule by fiat.

Wan Junaidi, for example, was unable to answer why the Government had yet to implement the IPCMC, a question raised today by both Puchong and Padang Serai. N.Surendran had pointedly asked whether the BN government was afraid of the police, referring perhaps to Abdullah Badawi’s comment that the IPCMC was not implemented due to objections from the police. It is incredible that Wan Junaidi would leave that question unaddressed! Is it an admission that Malaysia’s ruling government is afraid of its own police force?

Passing flawed Bills - what sort of a govt is this?

Nancy Shukri, the Minister of pushing through atrociously drafted bills, would on the very next day after getting an amendment passed admit that it would have to be amended. Why pass flawed bills. The PCA, for example, was passed in a desperate hurry merely to improve Zahid Hamidi’s re-election chances. Which it duly did, a reflection of the generally fascist nature of Umno members.

Regardless, Parliament will hopefully change because of the new approach that PR, by accident or design, is taking. Ministers will have to come prepared if they are not to be made fools of. We may get a better quality of debate, and perhaps even half-decently drafted bills. The Cabinet and the A-G might actually decide to earn their fat salaries.

MAILBAG