by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General, MP for Tanjung and Assemblyman for Kampong Kolam, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Saturday, Nov. 29, 1986:
Refusal by Deputy Speaker, D..P.Vijandran, to allow debate on the $175 million estimates for Ministry of Energy, Posts and Telecommunications most deplorable
The refusal by Deputy Speaker, D.P. Vijandran, to allow debate on the $175 million estimates for Ministry of Energy, Posts and Telecommunications yesterday is most deplorable.
It is not the job of the Deputy Speaker to establish a ‘coup’ by pushing through estimates of Ministry without a debate, or in as short a time as possible, but to uphold the rights of the Parliament
to scrutinise the requests by government for parliamentary allocation of funds,
DAP MP for Petaling Jaya, Dr. Eng Seng Chai, was to speak on the Ministry of Energy, Posts and Telecommunications, but he had just had a ‘tiff’ with the Deputy Speaker, D.P. Vijandran and the Minister for Transport, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, who would only give way to UMNO MPs for clarification in his winding-up speech, but not to DAP MPs. The DAP MPs were utterly disgusted by this attitude of Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, and Dr. Eng and other DAP MPs walked out in protest.
However, even without Dr. Eng to open the Ministry of Energy, Posts and Telecommunications, other The Barisan MP for Kemaman, Ismail Said, had stood up to estimates, but ‘failed’ to catch Dr. P. Vijandran’s eye!
The passing of estimates of a Ministry without debate in must be regarded as a shame and disgrace to Parliament – and in this case, all the more so, not because no MP wanted to speak, but the Deputy Speaker failed to see that there are MPs who want to speak! Several DAP MPs had wanted to speak on the Ministry of Energy, Posts and Telecommunications and would have done so if the MP for Kemaman , Ismail Said, had opened the debate on the estimates.
I want also in this connection to express grave regret that D.P. Vijandran had cut short debate on the Home Ministry estimates on Wednesday, not only denying many MPs the chance of taking part in the debate on this important Ministry, but ahead of the time allocated to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
I hope D.P. Vijandran can explain and justify his action in arbitrarily cutting short debate on the estimates for the Ministry of Home Affairs.