Parliament Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia rejected today the idea of screening the hyped-up sex video allegedly featuring Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The speaker was responding to Pasir Mas MP Datuk Ibrahim Ali on the media reports that Bukit Gelugor MP and DAP chairman, Karpal Singh had suggested to show the video during a Parliamentary session.
“There are rules and regulations for the Parliamentary sessions and I’ve been chased by reporters regarding this issue. I did not respond to their questions, not because I was arrogant.
“The duty of the Speaker is like of a judge, that a judge does not give a ruling immediately after the issue goes to him or her, there’s a procedure,” he said.
He (picture) emphasised that the Parliamentary immunity should not be abused and member of Parliaments should not use the House session for personal and political agendas.
Parliamentary immunity takes effect from the moment a member of Parliament is sworn in, and only applies when that member has the floor; it does not apply to statements made outside the House.
An exception to this rule are portions of the constitution related to the social contract, such as the Articles governing citizenship, Bumiputra priorities, the Malay language, and all public questioning of these provisions is illegal under the 1971 amendments to the Sedition Act, which Parliament passed in the wake of the 1969 May 13 racial riots.
Members of Parliament are also forbidden from criticising the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and judges. Parliamentary immunity and other such privileges are set out by Article 63 of the Constitution; as such, the specific exceptions to such immunity had to be included in the Constitution by amendment after the May 13 incident.
“During a Parliamentary session, members of Parliament cannot use unparliamentary words, throw baseless accusations, how can I allow the screening of something that is against Islam and that is forbidden.
“So if you want to politicise this issue, do it outside, in Parliament, we have guidelines to adhere to. Justify the action then use your MP position as a defence. But as long as I’m the Speaker, I will not allow the House to be used for personal or political agendas,” Pandikar said.
The youth and sports minister had rubbished Karpal’s suggestion, saying that the video was a criminal matter that should be handled by the police — not parliamentarians. He added that screening the clip in the august House would sully its standing.
According to Karpal, the video should be screened for MPs so that the identity of the man in the video could be determined.
Karpal’s call did, however, find a supporter in Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz. The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department had said that he backed the proposal for the video to be shown to lawmakers at Parliament but advised caution as doing so would likely contravene existing pornography laws.
He said that it would be difficult to get immunity around Parliament and said that the Speaker should be consulted and he should be the one who decides.
“If there’s anything involving MP’s religious issues, you have to understand if this involves an MP regarding his or her duty as a member of Parliament, then only immunity can be used but if it doesn’t involved his or her duty as a member of Parliament, but personal issues, do not ask my opinion about political issues out there,” he said, dismissing Ibrahim, who is also the Malay rights group Perkasa president.
The video first came to light in a secretive screening at the prestigious Carcosa Seri Negara hotel on March 21, where those behind its showing had alluded that the man recorded was “prominent Malay opposition leader”.
Anwar has denied being the man featured in the video and has accused BN of orchestrating the video in an attempt at character assassination.
Three men — former Malacca chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, businessman Datuk Sharzyl Eskay Abdullah and Umno stalwart Datuk Shuib Lazim — have already come forward to claim credit to being the mysterious “Datuk T” behind the screening.
The men subsequently surrendered the recording to the police, ahead of their self-imposed deadline for Anwar and wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to quit all political posts or risk having the video released.
Today, a snippet of the video was discovered to have been posted online to video sharing site, YouTube, and traded among pro-Umno blogs.
Shazryl told The they had not released the video to anyone and that the only copy remained with the police.
A recent opinion poll found that 51 per cent of those surveyed did not believe Anwar was the man in the video, with 39 per cent saying Barisan Nasional had masterminded the video — more than twice as many as those who said the ruling coalition was not involved.
