Hishammuddin: Walkout shows Pakatan disrespecting democracy
By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein accused Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers of disrespecting democracy today when they staged a walkout from Parliament during the debate on the Peaceful Assembly Bill.
“If they want to talk about democracy and the system that we have, by walking out they are not respecting the democracy that they are supposed to be campaigning and fighting for,” he told a press conference at the Umno general assembly here.
The Dewan Rakyat passed the controversial Peaceful Assembly Bill earlier today with just votes from Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers after PR MPs staged a walkout from the chambers.
The Bill was swiftly passed with the six amendments revolving around the advance notice required for an assembly.
Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia had allowed just three opposition MPs to debate the Bill, all of whom asked for it to be withdrawn and put before a select committee.
“This is our way of rejecting the Bill until we have a select committee,” PKR’s Subang MP R. Sivarasa told The Malaysian Insider as the opposition lawmakers left Parliament.
