KUALA LUMPUR – If Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin had spoken for a few more minutes in the lower House on Wednesday, the government bloc could have gotten majority support to renew Subsection 4(5) of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), said Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim.
Immediately after Hamzah ended his winding up speech, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun ordered for a bloc vote but four MPs were barred from voting, the Arau MP noted.
He said, in a statement, that the four MPs – Tan Sri Annuar Musa, Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali dan Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing – were not allowed to take part in the vote as they were considered late and Azhar had accepted the objection from the opposition bloc.
The motion was defeated via bloc vote, with 86 voting against while 84 voted to renew the tenure for the provision.
He added that it cannot be said that the government lost the bloc vote and assumed the 84-86 result as a “delayed victory”.
“What happened in Parliament on Wednesday, when the minister (Hamzah) got information that government MPs were not enough, he should have continued talking. Because he did not do so, the four MPs who entered could not vote because the opposition was objecting to it.
“The four MPs entered the hall before it was announced to vote. They should have been allowed to vote. At that time there were 84 government MPs and with the four, it would have been 88 people while the opposition had 86.
“In terms of votes, we (the government) did not lose, but the victory was delayed, we did not reject it, and we will bring up Sosma in July.”
He also lambasted government MPs who failed to show up for the vote.
“An MP’s job is to attend Parliament. Those who want to hide the fact that they did not attend the sitting had said the government lost faith.
“No, you’re a Member of Parliament, why are you not present? You have to be present, the job of a Member of Parliament is to be present. They said ‘business’.
“‘Business’ should be secondary. The number one job of an MP is to represent the people. The people want MPs to be present in Parliament. Don’t complain (saying) that the government has lost faith,” he said without mentioning names.
“In the old days, MPs who were not present in Parliament would have action taken against them. Now they are having fun, free to criticise and so on. They forgot that those who were not present should be questioned.”
Previously, Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz said Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs had been informed much earlier to be present in the Dewan Rakyat to face the possibility of a bloc vote, hours before the unprecedented rejection of Sosma.
He said the BN secretariat, which his party leads, had sent out a WhatsApp message to all the coalition’s representatives asking them to attend the afternoon session in anticipation of a bloc vote.
Nazri added that opposition lawmakers were incensed after Hamzah said, when tabling the motion earlier in the day, that those who were against it do not love the country.
However, leaders from Umno’s erstwhile partner Bersatu said they were caught off guard by the opposition’s challenge, especially since they signed a confidence and supply agreement with the government.
The bloc vote was also not without drama as the lower House briefly descended into a shouting match between government and opposition lawmakers who prompted Azhar to ensure the doors into the lower House were shut as required by the protocol.
“Close the door, we can see them walking in through the backdoor,” quipped Hang Tuah Jaya MP Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, triggering cheers from the opposition bloc.
Several other lawmakers then began to harass the speaker again, demanding the doors be shut before Azhar could be seen instructing Parliament’s Sergeants at Arms to take note of those walking in after the vote had started.
The motion tabled by Hamzah would have gone through a voice vote, but Teluk Intan MP Nga Kor Ming invoked Section 47 of the Standing Orders of the Dewan Rakyat, which allows for a bloc vote if at least 15 lawmakers agree.
During a press conference after the vote, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke asserted the outcome has no bearing on the opposition’s memorandum of understanding signed with the government.
Loke said the vote was lawmakers acting on their own prerogative, maintaining the outcome was in line with the opposition’s view that Sosma’s provisions need to be looked at and amended further.
Hamzah tabled a motion seeking to renew the tenure for five years, under which the government can enforce Subsection 4(11) of Sosma that empowers authorities to detain suspects for up to 28 days without trial to assist investigations.
Under Sosma, the government is required to secure parliamentary approval to continue using the provision once its current tenure ends on July 31. – The Vibes, March 26, 2022
