Parliament poser on Anwar’s opening debate

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will not be attending tomorrow’s opening of Parliament by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong but the opposition has not decided on a replacement. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 8, 2015.The first Parliament sitting for 2015 will see the absence of the opposition leader, probably unprecedented in Malaysian history, following the Prisons Department’s decision to bar Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from attending tomorrow’s opening by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as well as the month-long meeting.

In previous years, opposition leaders whose tenure was disrupted halfway were replaced by their colleagues.

Sarawak National Party (SNAP)'s Datuk James Wong was the opposition leader in August 1974 but two months later, he was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for several years.

He was succeeded by party colleague Edmund Langgu Saga until the party, which is now defunct, joined the ruling Barisan Nasional in 1976.

Similarly, veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang, who was Malaysia's longest-serving opposition leader from 1975 to 1999, was detained under the ISA for 18 months as part of the 1987 Ops Lalang swoop.

At that time, party colleague Bukit Bintang MP (Tan Sri) Lee Lam Thye took over as acting opposition leader, while acting opposition whip was Sim Kwang Yang, also from DAP.

Anwar is serving a five-year sodomy conviction but his family has filed for a pardon from the Agong. 

Pending the decision of the clemency petition, the PKR de facto chief remains the Permatang Pauh MP and opposition leader. 

With Anwar being prevented from performing his parliamentary duties, the question now is, who will be appointed as acting opposition leader pending his royal pardon hearing?

"We were supposed to meet on Friday to discuss this but (Datuk) Nik Aziz (Nik Mat) passed away," said Lim, referring to the death of ally PAS spiritual leader on February 12.

"Since then, we have not met and there is no decision on the acting opposition leader."

PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli said it was unlikely that an acting opposition leader would be appointed since the respective opposition parties' whips set the tone and agenda of daily parliamentary affairs.

Traditionally, the opposition leader will be the first to debate on the Agong's speech. This will take place on Tuesday but Rafizi said the party would appeal to the speaker to allow someone to read out Anwar's speech on his behalf.

"If this is not allowed, then the next most senior person will be the first to debate," said the Pandan MP, pointing out this would be Lim, who is DAP's Gelang Patah MP.

Despite Anwar's absence, Rafizi said the opposition would not lose heart.

"We will continue to scrutinise and attack the government on issues and I don't think Anwar's absence will disrupt that. BN can expect vigorous debate like before." 

Apart from Anwar, one issue that is expected to take centre-stage will be the controversial 1Malaysia Development Berhad.

Federal opposition lawmakers, who have consistently questioned the strategic development firm's operations and burgeoning debts, will now take their fight to Parliament and demand answers from Putrajaya.

Chief critics like Rafizi and DAP Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua have submitted numerous questions to Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on matters related to 1MDB.

In fact, of the total 10 oral questions allocated for every MP, nine of Pua's queries are on 1MDB.

They, however, are not too optimistic about receiving any satisfactory answers, based on previous experiences where they had accused the Finance Ministry of giving "copy and paste" non-answers.

"The government should answer our questions, it is independent of whatever investigations by the auditor-general," said Pua, in reference to Najib's directive on Wednesday to the A-G to audit 1MDB's books.

Meanwhile, Rafizi doubted that their questions would be answered fully now that the A-G was getting involved.

"I have a feeling the government it is not going to respond to our questions, pending the conclusion of the audit," he said.

Besides 1MDB, other issues that are expected to be fiercely debated include Putrajaya's move to table a new anti-terrorism law or Prevention of Terrorism Bill, which is expected to include provisions that allow for detention without trial and the implementation of an electronic monitoring device.

This new law is said to have features similar to the Prevention of Crime Act, which allows for suspected terrorists to be detained without trial for up to two years.

Opposition MPs with a legal background are expected to grill the Home Ministry once this Bill is up for debate, amid worries that the new law resembles the now repealed ISA, which contained elements of arbitrary detention.

Putrajaya's use of the Sedition Act against its critics is also expected to be hotly debated, especially since Najib announced last year at the Umno general assembly that the legislation would be further strengthened with special provisions to protect the sanctity of Islam, while other religions also could not be insulted.

There will also be a provision to criminalise those who call for secession of Sabah and Sarawak.

Another thing to watch out for is PAS's private member’s bill, which will pave the way for the party to implement hudud in Kelantan.

However, the Islamist party's plan to implement the Islamic penal code in its impoverished east coast state is expected to fail given that it lacks the number to push the bill through, in addition to being hampered by parliamentary procedures. 

PAS has 21 federal seats, and even if all the Muslim MPs (87 from Barisan Nasional, 16 from PKR and two from DAP) were to support the bill, it would still be short of the two-thirds or 148 votes required to amend the Federal Constitution.

Moreover, government business by convention takes precedence and has to be completed first, but it is usually rare for government business to be fully completed before the end of every sitting.

- TMI