Sound and Fury in Parliament - malaysiakini

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 - When a MP screeched "B*****d!" at his opposition colleague in Parliament recently, it stunned many. This was a new low, even for Malaysia's rambunctious Parliament.

In reality, most parliamentary days are tediously quiet. Yesterday, for instance, saw Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop on his feet for almost the entire day replying to points raised in the Budget debate.

But there are days when the House bursts into a cacophony. Malaysian MPs are no wallflowers, especially the handful of infamous ones from both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and opposition who take delight in needling each other.

Their language can be colourful, and often skirts the boundaries of good taste. Sexism and chauvinism are par for the course, but swear words are generally taboo.

It was opposition MP M. Kulasegaran who provoked the outburst last Wednesday when he said that the Indian community in a Perak constituency "hated" their BN MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman.

Tajuddin lost his temper and yelled "B*****d!"

According to news reports, he followed it up with "You bloody b*****d, show me proof."

This got the press in a tizzy and soon after that, the government said it might introduce a code of ethics for MPs. Truly an irony.

"It's important for MPs to be more careful with their words. Society will look at them differently if they misbehave," Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Shafie Apdal said.

Parliament has been enlivened since the March political tsunami blew in 81 opposition MPs and one independent, quadrupling their strength in the House overnight. The BN started out with 140 MPs, but this fell to 138 when the Sabah Progressive Party pulled out of the coalition. Its two MPs are now seated in the independent section.

The MPs from the two camps started baiting one another from the word go. At the first sitting this year in April, two veteran politicians called each other "Bigfoot" and "big monkey".

More recently, "dinosaur" got an airing when Khairy Jamaluddin, the son-in-law of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, reportedly used this term to describe veteran politician Lim Kit Siang, who refused to let him interrupt.

Opposition MPs have also staged several walkouts this year. The latest was during Deputy Premier Najib Razak's briefing on the RM7 billion stimulus package, when he refused to clarify if it was a supplementary budget.

"I can say that Parliament is busier this term compared to the last term. The quality of debate has improved but there is no difference when it comes to the antics of certain MPs," said Mr Nur Jazlan Mohamed, a second-term BN MP from Johor.

But while the cacophony is not unusual, it has made the government sit up. With enhanced public scrutiny and an unfavourable public mood, controversial issues can no longer be swept aside - they merely appear on the Internet the next day.

Young opposition MPs like Tony Pua are comfortable with blogging, and he frequently uploads his speeches and commentaries on his blog.

There is no hiding unwanted publicity. The government has learnt at its peril to ignore blogs, as unchallenged assertions quickly become a new truth.

So, amid the showboating in the House, the opposition has managed to force the government's hand after it latched on to a number of issues.

In a rare success, its dogged battle against the DNA Identification Bill, which allows for compulsory collection of samples from crime suspects, has forced a lengthy delay.

The opposition has labelled the Bill draconian, and alleged that it was targeted at obtaining a sample from opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is charged with sodomy. He has refused to give a sample, citing fearsthat he would be framed.

Far from getting a smooth ride in September, the Bill has now been postponed. It could be March next year before it gets back on the agenda.

Last week, the government gave in to MPs' demands for a disclosure of the payout to five judges who were sacked in 1988. It was RM10.5 million.

The opposition's carping on the intended RM1.6 billion purchase of Eurocopter EC725 Cougar helicopters also caused the government to shelve the deal on the grounds of global economic woes.

But not everyone agrees that the opposition is constructive. "They are sometimes just being difficult," said Nur Jazlan.

Ironically, opposition MP Liew Chin Tong agrees in part, but blames the parliamentary system. He said MPs often do not get a chance to speak, and there is no system for debate procedures to be mutually agreed upon to avoid clashes. There are no proper committees set up to deliberate Bills.
In the end, the government often gets its way, by its superiority in numbers. The opposition has yet to figure out how to leverage its power other than with louder vocal theatrics.

"There is no new paradigm to deal with an expanded opposition, and we are stuck with this thing, which is basically show business," said Liew. - The Straits Times - TMI