KUALA LUMPUR: DAP MP Gobind Singh Deo today filed a substantive motion to challenge the six-month suspension of DAP- Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang from Dewan Rakyat today.
Gobind said Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia had denied Lim a hearing by the House of Rights and Privileges Committee which would be able to determine if he had acted in contempt of the Dewan.
“In the past MPs have been suspended by a single motion and we do not want this to be a trend.
“When that happens, the people of a constituency will be denied the right to be heard therefore any decision to remove them should be looked at seriously,” he said at the Dewan Rakyat lobby earlier.
The Puchong MP said he had raised Standing Order 80A which allows a member alleged to have committed an act of contempt to be referred to the Right and Privileges Committee.
“If he (the Speaker) agrees and allows the tabling of the motion, it will be debated and voted by next week at the soonest,” he added.
On Oct 22, Lim was suspended for six months for making insulting remarks against the Speaker.
The decision was made due to Lim’s refusal to apologise to the Speaker after he said that Pandikar was abusing his powers by ruling that Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) could not continue its ongoing probe into 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) following the transfer of four PAC members to the Cabinet.