BN reps not afraid of NSC Bill critics, says senate president

Dewan Negara president Abu Zahar Ujang today refuted claims that BN senators were afraid to face critics of the National Security Council Bill 2015.

Instead, Abu Zahar said not only were the senators unaware of the briefing by the #TakNakDiktator (Reject Dictatorship) coalition in Parliament yesterday, it was also held without his permission.

“My God, for heaven’s sake! We are not scared to see anybody. We are responsible people.

“We are responsible to the rakyat. But don't confuse the rakyat,” he said in response to National Human Rights Society (Hakam) president and Tak Nak Diktator spokesperson Ambiga Sreenevasan.

No BN senators were present at the briefing and Ambiga (photo) had later said it was a sign that they were afraid to face the rakyat.

Abu Zahar, however, insisted that he will not allow any parties to hold a meeting or press conference in Parliament without first obtaining his permission.

“So when they wrote to seeking for a meeting, I have instructed my officer to inform them, ‘sorry I can’t make it’,” he said, adding that the briefing yesterday had only proceeded due to a miscommunication among his officers.

He said he will issue show-cause letters to the officers who had facilitated the coalition's meeting.

Abu Zahar claimed that Ambiga’s statements, as reported by Malaysiakini, had made it seem as if the briefing was held with his permission.

“None of the senators knew about this and we have never agreed (to allow the briefing).

“The NSC Bill has yet to be debated and I have been telling everybody, ‘don’t pre-empt the debate’,” he said.

Abu Zahar also warned Ambiga and critics of the NSC Bill from allegedly trying to usurp powers of the Parliament and influence their decision on the matter.

“We know what to do. They can give their comments when we have decided but do not put anything (words) into our mouths, (telling us) ‘do this, do that’.

“We are not robots. We are responsible people,” he added.

Aside from the briefing, the 'Tak Nak Diktator' coalition had also intended to submit a memorandum to Abu Zahar, urging senators to reject the Bill and return it to the Dewan Rakyat for further amendments to be made before passed as law.

Abu Zahar also said that the Senate had taken the initiative to organise several other briefings on the Bill in order to help them make an informed decision in the interest of the people.

The 'Tak Nak Diktator' campaign was started by rights and civil society groups, including Amnesty International Malaysia, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL), Suara Rakyat Malaysia and Hakam.

BN senators insist not invited

Meanwhile, several BN senators also echoed Abu Zahar’s statement that they did not receive any invitation to attend the briefing.

Senator Sim Kui Hian said that Ambiga should prove her sincerity in making the claims against BN senators.

"So sad this is (coming) from someone (Ambiga) who preach about transparency, integrity and accountability!

“(We) never received any invitation and claims we were absent? Prove your sincerity. Not just political publicity,” he told Malaysiakini.

Senator Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah, meanwhile, reportedly told the Dewan Negara that the reports were false and defamatory to representatives from the ruling coalition.

“The article said the absence of all the 55 senators was because we were afraid to face the rakyat, but yesterday we were not invited at all. If we were invited, we would have attended, we would have joined in the meeting,” he said as quoted by The Malay Mail Online.

LFL executive director Eric Paulsen told Malaysiakini that invitation to attend the briefing were emailed to Abu Zahar and all appointed senators.

The NSC Bill was swiftly passed on Dec 3 amid protests by the opposition and civil society groups against a law that they claim would confer wide-ranging powers to the prime minister and set Malaysia on a path towards dictatorial rule. -Mkini