Opposition chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said that the motion to suspend him for six months over remarks linking a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) training exercise to the deadly 1985 Memali incident was legally flawed.
The Kota Baru member of parliament described the motion, set to be tabled by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, as “double jeopardy” because it overlapped and went beyond an earlier motion by Suhaizan Kaiat (PH–Pulai) in referring him to the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee.
He also said that to date, the procedure to bring him before the committee had yet to be completed, and that he himself had not been called to attend any proceedings.
“Instead, what has happened is that the speaker (Tan Sri Johari Abdul), I can confirm, has sent a new letter to the Pulai MP and also to the home minister, asking them to respond to my reply.
“That was the speaker’s action, as I know the letter was copied to me, and that is the procedure under Standing Order 36(12).
“But suddenly, while the case is still incomplete, as I have not been called or released, there is a motion under Standing Order 27(3) to suspend an MP for six months,” he said at a press conference in Parliament yesterday.
According to the Dewan Rakyat’s order paper today, a motion to suspend Takiyuddin for six months is expected to be tabled by Saifuddin.
The order paper said Takiyuddin’s remarks amounted to serious accusations and were capable of provoking sentiments of resistance against the government.
Takiyuddin also questioned why his right to be referred to the committee was denied.
“Why was I not taken there? We know the government has the majority, so the intention is to suspend me.
“There has been no information on the decision on the motion submitted by Pulai until today, unless he has not informed me, so I am concerned.
“This is called double jeopardy in the legal context, where an individual is charged twice over the same offence,” he said. – source NST
