Under fire over separation of powers, Fahmi says meeting with Speaker common but govt can’t dictate Parliamentary affairs

KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 — Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil today downplayed his controversial remarks on meeting the Dewan Rakyat Speaker, saying that it is common for MPs to arrange a meeting to discuss issues.

Clarifying his comment, Fahmi said he was merely referring to the usual meet-up with the Speaker on matters that would need his attention.

“Even the Opposition Leader and Leader of the House will meet the Speaker from time to time, even the backbenchers can if they want to. The reason for this is so we can swap ideas, share knowledge and discuss important matters, this was what I meant.

“We can’t tell the Speaker what to do,” he told reporters, referring to the government.

He compared this to Perikatan Nasional’s Teluk Gelugor MP Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who had given his apology to the Speaker over a recent matter.

Wan Saiful was spared a six-month suspension following his explanation and retraction of his debate speech after he was allowed by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul to clarify and retract the contents of his speech delivered last week when debating the King’s speech in the House.

“The speaker clearly stated too that he had met him and had a meeting with him. So this was what I meant, meeting a Speaker is a norm,” he added.

Yesterday, Fahmi came under fire after he said on Friday that the Cabinet has agreed to contact Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul over some allegations made by Opposition MPs during the debate on the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address that could mislead the House.

Tasek Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh then said the government had no place in contacting the Speaker to complain about federal lawmakers’ remarks in the Dewan Rakyat even if these were false or misleading.

The former deputy law and institutional reform minister such matters were the sole purview of Parliament, which already has Standing Orders with which the Speaker could penalise offenders.

Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today also called the matter an interference with the independence of the legislature, adding that parliamentary privilege granted lawmakers the right to speak their minds in the Lower House.

Parliament is already seen as subordinate to the government after the repeal of the Parliamentary Services Act in 1992 during the first Mahathir Administration gave the Prime Minister’s Department control over its administration and funding.