JULY 7 — A disturbance was triggered in the Malacca state assembly
sitting after MCA chief Datuk Gan Tian Loo brought up the recent rumour
claiming Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s his wife had assaulted his
former staff member because of an alleged relationship between the two.
Lim and his wife, Betty Chew, attributed the allegation to a
political conspiracy and character assassination. Five DAP state
assembly members were also suspended for six months after staging a
ruckus.
The incident continues to ferment and even the sex video clip scandal
involving MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has once again been
put under the limelight, setting off a fierce online war of words filled
with foul language.
Is it appropriate to bring up a rumour yet to be proven true and
already denied by the persons involved, in the sacred hall of the state
assembly? The answer might not be absolute. It depends on whether it
relates to public interests and whether it is an emergency.
Indeed, Gan did not breach any parliamentary rules and regulations,
but he had obviously abused the Malacca State Assembly privilege and
immunity when he took the advantage of it to attack another state’s
chief minister, his wife and another woman, and questioned their
characters and morality.
Indeed, Gan is the chairman of Malacca’s Chinese Single Mother
Support Group and he used to assist 200 single mothers outside the state
assembly hall. However, defending the interests of single mothers
outside the state assembly and blindly attacking two women in the state
assembly hall based only on online rumours are two different matters.
Regardless of whether his words and deeds are insults to women, it is
absolutely absurd and unacceptable when he used his “merit” of
assisting single mothers outside the state assembly to rationalise the
harm caused to two women in the hall, and dared not to repeat the
allegation publicly, saying only that the state assembly is a symbol of
democracy.
Politics is indeed full of attacks and plots, but there are still
differences in standard. Instead of not being smart enough, politicians
are actually too clever. However, if they are too clever to the extent
of not letting go of even a single opportunity to attack their opponents
and blindly turn their opponents into a sacrifice for their own
political gain, then approach is too lousy.
When politics deteriorates to such an extent that only personal and
party interests are concerned, but not universal values, it will then
lose its nobility and only frustrating sorrow is left!
The state assembly immunity should not be used in such a way. It is
not meant to allow lawmakers to spread gossips and rumours or attack
opponents on personal matters.
Instead, it is meant to allow them to fearlessly expose various
misconducts involving the country’s and its people’s interests, like
corruption, fraud and abuse of power.
The state assembly immunity is a precious “sword of immunity”, as well as a double-edged sword.
It should be used for the people’s interests instead of as a
protection umbrella shielding the acts of insulting and killing
political opponents, because such a practice is too cheap, too
uncivilised and too despicable! — mysinchew.com
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