by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, July 23, 1992:
It is Parliament itself and not for Ghafar Baba or even the Cabinet to decide what to do with the Vijandran pornographic videotape
After the Cabinet meeting yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister, Ghafar Baba said that the Vijandran pornographic videotape produced by DAP Deputy Chairman and MP for Jelutong, Karpal Singh in Parliament last Monday would be surrendered to the police and would not be viewed in Parliament.
He said the police would decide whether to re-open the case of the Vijandran pornographic videotape scandal and to continue investigations.
He said the Vijandran pornographic videotape would not be viewed in Parliament as it had nothing to do with Parliament, as Vjiandran is no more Deputy Speaker or Member of Parliament.
It must be made clear from the outset that it is no business of the Cabinet to decide that the Vijandran pornographic videotape produced by Karpal Singh in Parliament last Monday be surrendered to the police.
It is for Parliament itself, and not for Ghafar Baba or the Cabinet, to decide what to do with the Vijandran pornographic videotape – whether to keep it as a Parliamentary exhibit or to surrender it to the police, and if to surrender to the police, the terms and conditions, such as iron-clad guarantees that it would not be destroyed as had happened in the case with eleven Vijandran pornographic videotapes and 2,000 photographs and negatives.
DAP calls on the Speaker, Tan Sri Zahir Ismail, to uphold the traditional powers and duties of a Speaker of Parliament to defend the powers and privileges of MPs from any encroachment of the Executive – and he should not surrender the Vijandran pornographic videotape to the Police without full authorisation from the Dewan Rakyat by way of a specific motion.
Although I had myself called on the Cabinet yesterday to discuss the Vijandran pornographic videotape issue, I am very disappointed with the attitude of the Cabinet to the new development of the Vijandran pornographic videotape scandal – which I will call the Vijandran Pornographic Videotape Scandal II.
Cabinet has tirvialised the Vijandran Pornographic Videotape Scandal II on one of the greatest cover-ups of a political scandal in Malaysia
It is very sad that the Cabinet had trivialised the Vijandran Pornographic Videotape Scandal II by focussing on two peripheral and irrelevant issues:
Firstly, what to do with the Vijandran pornographic videotape produced by Karpal in Parliament last Monday.
Secondly, whether and how to prosecute Karpal Singh for producing the Vijandran pornographic videotape in Parliament.
The Cabinet had ignored the broader and very important issues raised by the Vijandran Pornographic Videotape Scandal II – which is no more about Vijandran, but about the fundamental issues of accountability, political integrity and morality of government leaders.
The Vijandran Pornographic Videotape Scandal I is about the political integrity and morality of the Deputy Speaker in Dewan Rakyat.
The Vijandran Pornographic Videotape Scandal II is about one of the greatest cover-ups of a political scandal in Malaysia to avoid public accountability and repudiate political integrity and morality.
DAP calls for establishment of a Special Parliament Committee to inquire into the great cover-up of the Vijandran Pornographic Videotape Scandal in Parliament
Ghafar Baba cannot be wrong when he said that the Vijandran pornographic videotape had nothing more to do with Parliament.
The Vijandran pornographic videotape produced by Karpal Singh is in fact very relevant, for it is irrefutable evidence that Parliament had been deceived over the Vijandran pornographic videotape scandal by one of the greatest cover-ups in Parliamentary history.
For this reason, Parliament must set up an all-party Special Committee to inquire into the great cover-up of the Vijandran Pornographic Videotape Scandal in Parliament since December 1989.
What is at issue Parliament and the country today is not about what to do with the Vijandran pornographic videotape produced by Karpal Singh, but the great issues of the proper relationship between Parliament and the Executive.
Parliament has the powers to commit the Attorney-General to jail if he seeks to prosecute Karpal Singh for producing the Vijandran pornographic videotape in Parliament
As Speaker, Tan Sri Zahir muststand up and defend the rights and privileges of all MPs from any attemt by the Executive to subvert the principle of parliamentary sovereignty.
Tan Sri Zahir had acted wrongly in musing aloud that Karpal Singh could be prosecuted for producing the Vijandran pornographic videotape in Parliament.
No Speaker of Parliament should allow such a thought to enter his mind, for it is his duty to uphold the powers and privileges of MPs as provided in the Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Ordinance 1952 exempting them from any civil or criminal proceedings for their conduct in Parliament, including any prosecution by the Attorney-General.
Should the the Attorney-General, under the pretext of exercising his discretion given to him by the Federal Constitution to decide on prosecutions, seek to infringe on the powers and privileges of any MP as set out under the House of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Ordinance 1952, the Speaker must stop the Attorney-General.
Parliament has the power under the the Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Ordinance 1952 to summarily commit the Attorney-General to jail for sixty days at a time if he seeks to infringe on the powers and privileges of the House, as wanting to prosecute Karpal Singh for producing the Vijandran pornographic videotape in Parliament.
I therefore call on Tan Sri Zahir to reject the Cabinet directive to surrender the Vijandran pornographic videotape to the Police or his reputation as Speaker of Parliament would become another victim of the Vijandran Pornographic Videotape Scandal.