By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Saturday, March 17, 1990:
Most regrettable that Barisan Nasional Government killed the DAP motion to censure and remove Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman as Attorney-General without debate
It is most regrettable and shameful that Barisan Nasional Government killed the DAP motion in Parliament to censure and remove Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman as Attorney-General without debate yesterday, by not allowing time for the motion to be debated.
The motion which I had expected to move at the last sitting of the current Parliament yesterday read:
“That this House RESOLVES to censure the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman, for the destruction of the eleven videotapes and four envelopes of photo-graphs recovered from the burglary of the safe in the house of YB D.P. Vijandran in August 1988, which was improper, unethical, unjustifiable and unlawful; and
FURTHER RESOLVES that Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman should be removed as Attorney-General as his decision to destroy the eleven videotapes and four envelopes of photographs had obstructed the process of justice and gravely undermined public confidence in the impartiality and integrity in the administration of justice.”
Another abuse of Barisan Nasional two-third parliamentary majority
The Barisan Nasional Government has no overwhelming two-thirds parliamentary majority and should have no fear that it could not get its way in Parliament if the motion is debated and a vote taken. The fact that the Barisan Nasional Government dare not allow the motion to remove Tan Sri Abu Talib as Attorney-General for the destruction of the Vijandran pornographic videotapes can only mean that the Government has realised that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr.Mahathir Mohamed and the Barisan Nasional have lost the public argument on the Vijandran pornographic videotapes scandal issue.
This is the first time that a motion to remove the Attorney-General had been moved in Parliament, and because of the seriousness of the subject-matter, the Government should have allowed a full debate and decision.
By ‘killing’ such a serious and important motion, affecting the conduct of the Chief Legal Adviser of the Government and the No.1 Public Prosecutor, the Barisan Nasional has again abused its two-thirds parliamentary majority to pure party advantage. Parliamentary democracy has again been sacrificed because of the two-thirds majority of the Barisan Nasional government Parliament.
Barisan Nasional should honourably announce the withdrawal of Haji Shuaib Lazim as Pantai Merdeka by-election candidate
The Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday rescinded the bankruptcy order made on Feb.21 against Haji Shuaib Lazim, the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Pantai Merdeka by-election, but refused to make a declaration that the order was null and void.
Mr. Justice Datuk V.C. George said the lawyer for Shuaib Lazim had to convince him of the fides of his submission that a full and final settlement on the debts had been reached before Feb.21. The judge refused to annul the bankruptcy order of Feb.21.
The effect of the decision of the order of the Kuala Lumpur High Court is that Shuaib has been discharged as a bankrupt, but from Feb.21 till yesterday, he remained an undischarged bankrupt.
This mean that as far as the Pantai Merdeka nomination day of March 12, Shuaib was an undischarged bankrupt, and had lost his qualification to stand as a candidate.
PAS candidate at Pantai Merdeka by-election should be declared Assemblyman by default
The Barisan Nasional Government and the Election Commission have made themselves into a laughing stock in making the following claims:
1. If documents had been produced to the Returning Officer on Nomination Day that Shuaib had been declared a bankrupt on Feb.21, Shuaib’s nomination as Barisan Nasional candidate would have been rejected and the PAS candidate declared the Assemblyman for Pantai Merdeka without contest.
2. If Shuaib had been declared a bankrupt one day Nomination, say on 13th March 1990, the Election Commission would have cancelled the by-election.
3. However, as Shuaib was declared a bankrupt before the Nomination, the Election Commission cannot cancel the by-election.
I am sure even school-children can see that this is a most ridiculous and disgraceful position to be taken by the Barisan Nasional Government and the Election Commission.
I call on the Barisan Nasional Government and the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr.Mahathir Mohamed, to do the only honourable thing in the circumstanced: to publicly withdraw Haji Shuaib Lazim as a candidate in the Pantai Merdeka by-election and allow the PAS candidate to be declared the Pantai Merdeka assemblyman by default.