That 'stupid act'... gone quietly
UPDATED VERSION. That 'stupid act which has infuriated the media' -- to borrow Chun Wai's words -- was discontinued silently without a word.
By the time I walked around the Parliament lobby soon after Question Time at 11.30am, the barricade that cordoned off the journalists, which triggered a boycott to cover even events held by the PM and DPM, had been removed. Journalists were seen moving about freely in the lobby, albeit in smaller numbers.
I waited anxiously for the Speaker to make an announcement about the decision he would take to respond to Guan Eng's Standing Order #94 question yesterday. The Speaker didn't utter a word throughout the 90-minute Q&A session just as when the cordon was being removed.
MP for Sri Gading switched on the mike and bemused that he was scared of the Speaker's grim face this morning, the Speaker ignored him and went on with the agenda scheduled in Order Paper. Poker-faced.
Later, Pandikar Amin chided Minister Muhammad Muhd Taib for not providing answer to the question raised in the supplementary question, and instead relying on standard answers drafted by the pegawai-pegawai.
Boycott called off
With the latest development, journalists have called off their boycott and resumed to cover press conferences in the lobby.
Ironically, among the very first to hold the press conference was the Speaker, Pandikar Amin Mulia, himself. Read theSun website. And I quote Malaysiakini:
In a press conference held this afternoon, Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia was non-committal to questions whether the ban imposed on the media has been totally lifted.
"I would be seen like a loser if I said the ban is lifted," he said.
Yesterday, deputy speaker Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, told us in the Parliament chamber, which should be recorded in the Hansard, that the decision to cut media access to the building’s lobby and barricaded the area had been made by speaker Pandikar Amin, and another deputy speaker Ronald Kiandee collectively.
The other BN leader who held a press conference in the Parliament was DPM Najib Razak. He, incidentally, used the occasion to defend himself against allegations made by Raja Petra Kamaruddin via a statutory declaration. The SD had implicated his wife Rosmah Mansor in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder.
He described RPK's allegation was a "total lie" and "fabricated garbage".
Nazri fingered
Significantly, there were also accounts from the Press that a certain BN backbencher, a Sarawakian, had been pointing finger at Nazri Aziz for the fiasco. This was also chronicled by Malaysian Insider in another report.
However, several journalists related to me that Nazri, who is the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Parliament affairs, had denied he was involved in this 'stupid act' decision.
On the other hand, Nazri blasted at the BN Backbenchers Club (BBC) members who removed the barricades yesterday, postured as a gesture of empathy with the journalists. Quote:
"I do not condone their action. Even though they are from BN, they have no power to do that. Who are they to take down the barricade? It's a bad example of them," he said today when contacted by a Star senior journalist.
He further added that the power instead lied on the hands of the speaker and they should wait for the decision to be made.
"It's the speaker's power, he's in charge. It's unbecoming... don't think you are a BBC member, you can do what you like, is this a gangsters' club? They better know where they are placed in the house," he lamented.
Read Chun Wai's blog, The Star, Malaysiakini and Malaysian Insider for updates.
'Abdullah's 100 days'
Meanwhile, Dr M fires another salvo at a book launch to sum up Abdullah's 100 days after March 8. Quote:
"This government is in total denial, refusing to listen to what people are telling them. As far as the country is concerned, this government is a total failure," said Dr Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years before handing over to Abdullah in 2003.
"Beyond responding to complaints, they keep distributing money. If you complain they will give you money. Sabah complains, they give RM1 billion. Sarawak complaints, they give another billion. Government funds are now used to bribe these people."
If Dr M is true, that will be perfect recipe for disaster.
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