Once in a while, someone in parliament gives you renewed faith in the political class and a degree of hope for safeguarding the future of Malaysia. That person is the Warisan MP for Kota Belud, Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis.
Isnaraissah may be tiny in stature but possesses enormous grit and a tenacious fighting spirit.
Yesterday, she locked horns with Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Azizan Harun who rejected her request to debate the seizure of Petronas assets by descendants of the self-proclaimed Sulu Sultanate.
Azhar claimed that the matter had been discussed at length in the last Dewan Rakyat sitting, but Isnaraissah was like a dog with a bone. She refused to budge, despite the speaker’s pleas and eventual threats to suspend her.
She stood her ground because she wanted a confirmed date for the debate.
She did not feel inclined to stop when the Energy and Natural Resources Minister Takiyuddin Hassan plodded on with his “protecting the forests” speech. He did pause briefly to tell Isnaraissah to “shut up”.
This must be a first for PAS. The normally dead-pan Takiyuddin has finally shown an uncanny interest in protecting our forests. The oft-repeated line of most PAS ministers is that protection of the forests, causes of flooding, and the prevalence of land/mudslides, are not man-made from over logging or deforestation. These happen because God willed it.
When the standoff between Azhar and Isnaraissah showed little sign of abating, the speaker ordered bailiffs to eject her, but opposition MPs formed a protective circle around her, whilst others spoke into their microphones to lend support.
After the furious backlash by MPs, an exasperated Azhar scurried away like a mouse.
Blocking the debate has revealed some of Azhar’s hidden traits.
First: Azhar cited sub judice rules for refusing the debate. Didn’t the Malaysian government refuse to recognise the Sulu action? So, why should it stop the MPs from debating the Sulu issue? It’s another first if the Malaysian authorities actually cared and adhered to rules and regulations.
Second: Azhar’s claim that debating the matter could reveal the government’s legal strategies to the enemy is so infantile. The rakyat needs to know the whys and hows of this Sulu claim. Only a fool would discuss detailed strategies in public.
The speaker forgot to mention that in the Art of War, pretending to be stupid is also a good strategy.
Third: The Pakatan Harapan MP for Bukit Gelugor, Ramkarpal Singh, accused Azhar of conflict of interest because his brother, Idrus, the attorney-general was involved in the Petronas issue. Azhar said, “I don’t talk to him about work.”
Doesn’t this sound familiar? When the NFC scandal was exposed, the disgraced former minister, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, whose husband and children were accused of defrauding the rakyat of RM250 million of taxpayers’ money for the failed cattle project, said, “We may share the same house, but we don’t talk about work.” Are these standard Umno-Baru phrases to disarm us?
It’s almost as if Umno-Baru has meetings instructing their members on standard phrases to use to try and get out of a sticky situation.
Fourth: Azhar claimed that it was his responsibility not to expose the government’s strategies. Actually, he is reluctant to admit that the government does not have any strategy in place.
In your experience of Putrajaya, since when does the seat of government prepare the groundwork and be ready for action?
Fifth: Azhar may try and blind us with his legal jargon and knowledge, but does he not consider the Sulu issue a matter of national interest? The rakyat is furious that we easily “lost” a clump of rocks, Batu Puteh, and they are anxious that it may be Petronas assets today and all of Sabah tomorrow. Isnaraissah was right to demand a debate now. Will Azhar allow a debate once Sulus takes over Sabah?
Sixth: Azhar’s refusal to allow a debate in the Dewan Rakyat did not stop the government from arranging a closed-door meeting in a five-star hotel to discuss the Sulu issue. Are these ministers not bothered about sub-judice, or are they aware that Azhar was talking nonsense? Was Azhar trying to pull the wool over our eyes yet again?
Seventh: What is the point of parliament if ministers have arranged a private hotel meeting to discuss the Sulu issue? If parliament is superfluous to the nation’s needs, then parliament should be disbanded, and the building converted into private apartments.
Eighth: The clueless Azhar may soon find himself out of a job. If MPs find the need to source an alternative location to discuss things of national interest, then Azhar’s position as speaker is redundant.
Ninth: The Sulu descendants and their lawyers have probably studied our hapless parliament, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), and Putrajaya.
Under Azhar, MPs cannot discuss issues which they feel are important in parliament. At the AGC, allegedly corrupt ministers and senior politicians have their charges dropped. Meanwhile, Putrajaya is like a container ship, with an incompetent captain in charge of an inexperienced crew.
The ship is headed for the rocks, and instead of changing course several miles before the ship goes aground, the authorities wait till the last minute to act. The Umno-Baru/PAS government is predictable, and the Sulus know which buttons to press to undermine Putrajaya.
Tenth: Azhar claims to be non-partisan, but in reality, the opposite is true. He claimed not to notice sexist and racist slurs in the Dewan. He refused to allow Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to discuss the Pandora Papers in the Dewan. Azhar does not command respect from MPs, because he does not act like a responsible speaker.
Two years after Azhar was made speaker by the leader of the backdoor government, he has continued to disappoint us. He failed to command our respect then, and 24 months later, he failed to learn that respect is earned.
He has repeatedly failed to restore order in the Dewan, and perhaps he should resign.
Azhar should know the expression, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” - Mkini
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army, and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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