Very wrong to suspend ADUNs/MPs - revoke the suspoension order of Khir Toyo & 3 Ors..

No Member of Parliament(MP) or Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri(ADUN) should be suspended...

Why?
Because these are the people's elected representative, and the act for suspending them from the House is an anti-people action - it deprives these people their right to be represented, their right to be heard, their right to participate..

We have all condemned strongly the suspension of certain opposition personalities in the past, when it was done by the BN - but today Pakatan Rakyat seems to be WORSE because their suspension is not merely some token 1-day suspension but suspension for long periods..

It started in Perak with the Pakatan Rakyat Speaker suspending ADUNs for of up to 18 months for one (and 12 months for some other ADUNs)...

Then, we had a 'retaliation' of sorts with Gobind being suspended by a BN-majority Parliament for

Now, Selangor is doing the the same...and this 'anti-people' and undemocratic action must be condemned in the strongest terms...

Soon, we may find the BN also doing the same - maybe suspending all 7o over Members of Parliament(MPs) - and that will be OK...will it? I think not.

No duly elected people's representative must be prevented from carrying out all of his duties and functions - and the most important of this is to attend the sitting of the Dewan Rakyat/State Assembly as apeople's representative - to voice out opinions, to debate, to vote on motions and Bills.

A deprivation of this right and privilege accorded to a people's representative by a Speaker...or some Parliamentary/State Assembly Committee or even the full Dewan/Assembly is wrong...and certainly against the principles of democracy..

See also earlier related post:- The power to suspend MP/ADUNs must be removed, and Judicial Review must be made available

The Selangor assembly's powerful rights and privileges committee has suspended state opposition leader and former menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo for 12 months from the House.

MCPX

The decision follows the Umno leader's absence from the Balkis inquiry in March and for criticising the Selangor Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) in his blog.

The privileges committee also called for the suspension of Barisan Nasional assemblypersons Warno DogolIsa Abdul Kasim (Batang Kali), Marsum Paing (Dengkil) and Mohamad Idris Abu Bakar (Hulu Bernam) for six months for questioning the integrity of Selcat...

State assembly speaker and committee chairperson Teng Chang Khim announced the decision after chairing the privileges committee meeting in Shah Alalm to discuss the matter.

State assembly speaker and committee chairperson Teng Chang Khim announced the decision after chairing the privileges committee meeting in Shah Alalm to discuss the matter.

"Khir is found guilty of contempt of the House in refusing to attend the Selcat hearing, and is suspended from the assembly for 12 months and his allowances would also be frozen during the period.

"However, the decision would have to be tabled at the Selangor state assembly sitting scheduled in July for it to be adopted. This includes the suspension of the four other assemblypersons," he said - Malaysiakini, 19/5/2009, Khir Toyo suspended one year

What other wrongs have been done?

Suspending the allowances of a Wakil Rakyat is also very wrong. Remember not all MPs/ADUNs have got other sources of income...from businesses, law firms, etc. Some of these MPs/ADUNs depend only on their allowances as wakil rakyat - and it is this money that is used to pay the rent of service centres, pay their support staff, etc... and when you suspend or deprive a ADUN/MP of his allowance, it is really very very wrong...

Teresa Kok, when she was MP of Seputeh used what she received as an MP to maintain her staff and her service centre - and she was a good MP, as she was not distracted by other business or professional work. We want MPs/ADUNs to be such totally dedicated to being a 'wakil rakyat'...

I strongly urge the Selangor Speaker, Selangor Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat), and the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat to immediately revoke that suspension orders.

There must be other means of 'punishing' - maybe a reprimand ...a strong reprimand would suffice. Even, if there is to be suspension, it should be something very rarely used, and it should only be suspension for not more than until the next rising of the sun...

Maybe, using that Contempt of the House (Selangor Legislative Assembly) Enactment 2008 could be used. I have not seen that Enactment, and hoped that it has a very narrow and clear definition on the meaning of 'contempt'. The Enactment should apply to a person who failed to attend Select Committee hearings, on being summoned., etc ..but it never be too wide or vague, for that will be too open to possible abuse...

Respect the people - respect their representative and the duties that the rep has to perform for and on behalf of his/her constituents...

We appreciate all the difficulties that Pakatan Rakyat State governments may be facing with the many 'interferences' from the BN State government...by the refusal of BN Federal Government to duly channel required funds through the legitimate State Government rather than through other 'proxies' (like the BN MPs/ADUNs/BN JKKKs/BN Party Offices/ etc...) but Pakatan Rakyat has to be different...and struggle on always doing the right thing.

And for me, suspending wakil rakyat is very wrong...

REVOKE immediately all suspension orders...