Speaker refuses to cite Najib over Sibu ‘deal’
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin has refused to refer Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee over remarks made during the recent Sibu by-election.
He said today the remarks were made outside Parliament and not within his jurisdiction.
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs had attempted to use Standing Orders 36(12) to refer Najib to the powerful committee for “misleading” the Dewan Rakyat over his RM5 million promise made to people in Rejang Park, Sibu, which was caught on video.
“I am not a judge… it is not within my jurisdiction. Under Standing Orders 23(1)(i) any statements made outside the Dewan Rakyat cannot be used as a reason or basis to refer someone to the committee,” said the Speaker.
However, Pandikar’s reply prompted Gombak MP Azmin Ali to question why PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was referred to the disciplinary committee over his allegations linking APCO Worldwide to Zionist connections.
“If that is the basis of the Speaker, why then was Permatang Pauh dragged to face the committee over statements made outside the Dewan but was used by the same Dewan to punish Permatang Pauh?” asked Azmin.
Pandikar then said that Anwar’s referral to the committee was brought up by a minister (Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz) under Standing Orders 27(3).
He said that if a minister moved to refer someone, then “that would also be the government’s position.”
