Parliament speaker’s demand of a list of MPs wanting a no confidence vote against the PM is designed to expose everyone before a debate is allowed.
KUALA LUMPUR: Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia apparently lives in fear of even the slightest hint of a no confidence motion being introduced in Parliament against Prime Minister Najib Razak although the Opposition has yet to get its act together on it, noted a political analyst in his latest blog posting.
Firstly, the motion first submitted was listed as number 25 out of 28 matters on the grounds that government business must be given priority.
Next, the DAP demanded that Opposition Parliamentary Leader Wan Azizah Wan Ismail put forward the motion and not any other MP. The motion listed as number 25 was submitted by the Petaling Jaya Selatan MP Hee Loy Sian from Wan Azizah’s PKR.
The issue that arises, said Shahbudin Husin, was whether the no confidence motion can now only be submitted in the March session of Parliament next year.
Hence, it is strange that the Speaker has demanded, in a “cart before the horse” move, that the list of Opposition MPs and/or MPs supporting the no confidence motion against the Prime Minister be first submitted to him before a debate can be allowed in Parliament on the matter. “Why would the Opposition want to slit their throats even before the actual day i.e. if the matter arose?” asks Shahbudin.
“Also, the submission of such a listing providing proof that the Opposition has the numbers, will probably only expose the MPs to ‘horse trading’ and result in the Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs supporting the motion turning tail and returning to supporting Najib again.”
The result, said Shahbudin, would be as good as not submitting the no confidence motion. “It appears that Pandikar was being cunning, crafty, and slick.”
The analyst wonders whether it’s among Pandikar’s duties, as Speaker, to ensure that no motion that can shame Najib is presented in Parliament. “Why fear a no confidence motion if he believes that the Opposition has only 89 MPs in favour of the motion? It appears that the no confidence motion was facing yet another hurdle in having debate in Parliament on the matter.”
Shahbudin noted that the Speaker himself, in a contradiction in terms, trotted out figures which appear to show that only between 90 and 100 MPs support the no confidence motion against the Prime Minister. “If less than a majority of the 222 MPs in Parliament support the no confidence motion, why does the Speaker fear it?”
“Again, isn’t it proper to allow the motion to be debated first before taking a vote on it to know who was in favour and those against it? Is demanding a list first part of the democratic process?”
On a separate but related matter, it appears that Pandikar was showing another side of his character this parliamentary session, said Shahbudin. He pointed out the obvious fact that the Speaker appears to be exceptionally fierce this time around and wants to flex his muscles at every little opportunity that he gets. “He doesn’t hesitate to scold and lecture the MPs even at the slightest chance that he gets, always raising his hands as he speaks.”
The analyst finds it difficult to imagine that this was the same character that complained to former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and which led to the latter announcing that the Speaker will tender his resignation soon based on the grounds that he explained to the former. “What a vast difference between now and before, between a Speaker who once wanted to quit, apparently in disgust, and now where he’s seen as a fierce Najib loyalist.”
The analyst apparently decided not to venture into what brought this sudden change of heart in the Speaker but he has been left in no doubt that his real intention was to expose the names of the BN MPs supporting the Opposition motion.
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