GEORGE TOWN: Despite earning the dubious distinction as the first member of parliament to be ejected from the Dewan Rakyat this week, Ramkarpal Singh has vowed to continue speaking his mind if need be.
The Bukit Gelugor MP said although he was disappointed with Speaker Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof’s handling of the matter, he said it was best to move forward and focus on the business of Parliament in the coming weeks.
“I am more than willing to fully cooperate with all parties... but I will not hesitate to speak my mind if need be,” he told the New Straits Times Press today.
It was reported that Ramkarpal was given the boot by Ariff when he refused to withdraw a “gangster” remark aimed at an opposition member of parliament.
Ramkarpal said he does not think that Ariff was biased in the way he handled proceedings in Parliament, which led to his ejection last Tuesday.
“I, however, respectfully feel that he fell into the error of interfering with the ruling made earlier in the day by Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon.
“Such an interference is clearly contrary to the Standing Order which provides that if a party is not satisfied with the ruling of a speaker, that party may file a motion challenging the same as the said ruling is deemed final.
“The Standing Order simply does not allow a Speaker to interfere with the ruling of his colleague earlier in the day for obvious reasons.
“Otherwise, there would be no finality of the rulings made by a speaker or his deputy,” he added.
Ramkarpal said if the opposition MPs behaved, there was no need for him to use such words against them in the future.
Since Pakatan Harapan (PH) assumed power after the 14th General Election (GE14), Ramkarpal has been critical and vocal against the new administration, questioning many of the decisions made and prompting many to liken him to his late father Karpal Singh.
Recently, Ramkarpal said the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) had overstepped its boundaries by demanding the resignations of Chief Justice Tun Md Raus Sharif and Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin.
He was also instrumental in pushing for the reopening of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu’s murder case.
Asked if he would change his style and whether he was not afraid that actions would be taken against him by the new government, Ramkarpal said the new government was a matured one.
“I am confident that we will not be a replica of the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government where there was hardly any criticism from within, only to learn later, after its fall, from people like Khairy Jamaluddin that they wished they had spoken up earlier.
“Similarly, if we do not speak up now, we can fall just like how BN did and this is precisely why it is necessary to do so now and not later.
“Also, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has made it clear that this new government emphasises the rule of law and as such, it is necessary to uphold the same principle even if it means not being popular sometimes.
“I will continue criticising and supporting the government as and when the need arises without fear or favour. I believe this is necessary for the betterment of the country,” he stressed.
Ramkarpal said he wants to help provide a healthy check and balance of the PH government.
"I want to see it evolve into a force to be reckoned with and not disintegrate into irrelevance and corruption the way the BN government did."