Press Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Friday, 3rd August 1990.
Warning to Ooi Ean Kwong that DAP would move a censure motion against him in the Penang Assembly if he presents a biased and distorted account at the Speakers’ Conference about the Penang State Assembly row resulting in suspension of four DAP Assemblymen.
Kedah State Assembly Speaker, Datuk Seroji Harun, has said that the Penang State Assembly incident in which the DAP Assemblyman for Bukit Glugor, Karpal Singh, threw his copy of the Standing Orders at the Penang State Assembly Speaker, Datuk Ooi Ean Kwong, is likely to be raised at the 22nd National Speakers Conference on Monday.
Datuk Ooi Ean Kwong must be warned that he would be guilty of contempt of the Penang State Assembly if he presents a biased or distorted account of what happened in the Penang State
Assembly on June 11 where, four DAP State Assemblymen, namely Karpal Singh, Teoh Teik Huat,
Chian Heng Kai and myself, were suspended.
The DAP will move a motion to censure, the Penang State Assembly Speaker for contempt
of the Penang State Assembly if he presents a biased and distorted report about the Penang Assembly rows, resulting in biased and distorted views and comments by other State Assembly Speakers or in a tendentious statement or motion by the Speakers’ Conference.
If the Speakers’ Conference wants to consider and discuss the Penang State Assembly episodes
of June 11, then they should allow the four DAP Penang Assemblymen to present their side of
the incident, at the Speakers’ Conference. If the Speakers’ Conference invite the DAP Assemblymen concerned to the Conference, we are prepared to accept the invitation.
What the Speakers’ Conference should be concerned about is the disgrace and dishonour to the dignity and sanctity of the State Assembly where a Speaker has so totally lost, control and respect of the Assemblymen that he had to rely on the Police reinforcements to enable him to conduct Assembly proceedings.
Ooi Ean Kwong has become the first ‘Police Speaker’ in the history of the State Assemblies in Malaysia. This is most disgraceful. A Speaker who cannot use his moral authority to conduct State Assembly proceedings, and need the support of police reinforcements, turning the Assembly into a police cantonment crawling with police personnel inside and outside the Assembly precincts, is not fit to continue as Assembly Speaker.