Friday November 30, 2012

Speaker adjourns sitting with touching speech

THE third meeting of the fifth session of the 12th Dewan Rakyat ended on a sweet note after Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia adjourned the sitting with a touching speech.

He said even though it was sometimes chaotic, everyone was able to control their emotions and did not end up in physical wrestling.

“I have witnessed banners being brought into meetings. Some MPs even tied pieces of cloth around their heads in a political protest and some were subject to disciplinary action for breaking the Standing Order.

“But to me, this is all part and parcel of Parliament everywhere,” he said in his closing remarks.

Pandikar recalled the two incidents that he would remember.

The first was when Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) pointed out that a deputy minister had violated the standing order by not raising his hand when taking oath as an MP at the beginning of the 12th Parliament session on April 28, 2008.

Pandikar had merely brushed off Karpal’s remark by stating that the said MP might have been suffering from hand pain.

For the first time the Speaker publicly apologised to Karpal yesterday for his remark.

“I reacted spontaneously. I was new then and did not know anything.

“Later I found out that Bukit Gelugor could not raise his hand. I will feel really bad if I do not apologise to Bukit Gelugor.

“I did not mean to hurt anyone,” he said.

News

Friday November 30, 2012

Speaker adjourns sitting with touching speech