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Published: Thursday October 23, 2008 MYT 12:59:00 PM
Updated: Thursday October 23, 2008 MYT 3:38:26 PM

Speaker suspends Karpal for two days (updated)


KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh was suspended from the Dewan Rakyat for two days from Thursday after the Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia accused him of uttering an insulting term against him.

The veteran lawyer can only return to the House next Thursday after the Deepavali holiday as the Dewan Rakyat takes a break on Monday and Tuesday.

Pandikar Amin lost his patience with the DAP stalwart after Karpal uttered the words “Jangan main-main” (Don’t fool around) to him during Question Time.

The altercation between the two occurred when Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz was replying to Wee Choo Keong (PKR-Wangsa Maju) about the expenses paid by the Government for a dinner with the Bar Council at a hotel.

Wee said the Government was currying favour with the Bar Council by paying for the dinner, to which Nazri replied that the Government was only doing its part to foster closer relations with the Bar.

When Nazri said Wee was “buta” (blind) for not seeing the Government’s intentions for the dinner, Karpal demanded Pandikar Amin discipline Nazri for using offensive language. However, during an argument about the word blind with Pandikar Amin, Karpal said: “Speaker, don’t play around. You are not serious.”

Pandikar Amin then said: “I’m not playing. Now I’m invoking my powers under Article 44 (3) against Bukit Gelugor, and I suspend you for two days for using disrespectful words in the House.”

Karpal told reporters in the lobby that he was disappointed with Pandikar Amin, whom he said was taking matters personally and being too emotional.

For his part, Pandikar Amin later said he was upset and frustrated that he had to resort to suspending Karpal.

He said he did not understand why a senior lawyer and veteran MP like Karpal would behave in such a way when he knew the Standing Orders “inside and out.”

“There were times when I also sought his opinion in the House,” said Pandikar Amin.

“I have exercised control as a Speaker and I have been very polite to everybody.

“There are MPs who flout the rules all the time and I let them be and resolve not to take any action against them until the House becomes chaotic.

“To a certain extent, I let it be as I do not want to disrupt the debate directly and also want to keep the debate lively and interesting.

“What can I do when an MP resorts to challenging the power of the Chair?” he said at his office.

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim offered to speak with Opposition MPs and assured the Chair that such an incident would not happen again.

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