Shahrir quits as BBC chief in a huff

Beh Lih Yi | Malaysiakini | 4 May 2006, 11:56am
 

The House was shocked when veteran politician Shahrir Abdul Samad (BN-Johor Baru) dropped a bombshell this morning.

He staged a walk-out and announced his resignation as the Backbenchers Club (BBC) head after failing to win the backing of his fellow backbenchers.

Shahrir left the House when the backbenchers refused to join him in supporting an opposition motion to refer a media report — which claimed an MP had attempted to misuse his powers — to the parliamentary Privileges Committee for investigation.

"I am disappointed that the backbenchers did not support this motion. I had hoped that they would because it was meant to safeguard the autonomy of Parliament and the dignity of MPs," said the teary-eyed BBC head when he announced his resignation.

It is now up to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is also the BN whip, to decide whether to accept the resignation.

Shahrir was appointed to lead the BBC after the 2004 general election.

'Close one eye'

The motion which started the ball rolling was tabled by Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang at the outset of the sitting.

The motion, known as a privilege motion, under standing order 26(1)(P) concerns matters of privileges among members of the House.

In tabling his motion, Lim referred to a New Straits Times front-page report today which claimed that an MP — whom it did not name — had asked the Customs and Excise Department to 'close one eye' regarding a case involving the importing of illegal sawn timber in Malacca.

According to the report, the MP went to the Malacca Customs office last month to ask the department to show leniency towards a company which had imported the timber. His request was rejected.

The MP, identified as Mohd Said Yusof (BN-Jasin) today denied that he has abused his power as alleged but conceded that he did meet the Customs people in Malacca.

Meanwhile, Lim — in his motion — argued that since the matter concerned a member of the House, it should be dealt with by the Privileges Committee.

However, Ahmad Zainuddin Omar (BN-Larut) opposed the motion, saying that the allegation was a 'one-sided story'.

"As we know, this motion can be exploited by certain quarters, especially the opposition. We don't want this motion to turn into an issue that will allow the opposition to gain political advantage in the (Sarawak state) elections," he added.

Mohamed Aziz (BN-Sri Gading) agreed. He said if the allegation was true, then a police report should be lodged

Lim dismissed this, arguing that an external investigation is not necessary when the House has an internal mechanism to investigate the matter.

At this juncture, Shahrir stood up and told the House that he supported Lim's stand.

"The Privileges Committee is a tool that allows us to manage our own affairs. The committee can call the relevant witnesses to testify and only when the process is completed, we will make a decision," he said.

But when the matter was put to vote, the motion was rejected and a dejected Shahrir left the House.

Decision stands

Met by reporters later, Shahrir said he would not change his mind about the resignation.

"They (backbenchers) don't understand it. I have explained why I supported the motion. If the majority of backbenchers think otherwise, then I should go," he added.

Shahrir clarified that he was not supporting the opposition but merely discharging his duty as a MP to uphold the principle that Parliament should protect its integrity and be allowed to manage its own affairs.

"My role as MP has always been consistent, to protect the rights of a member of the House, I want Parliament to be a place where MPs are respected, I encourage MPs to learn about this subject," he said.

At a separate press conference this afternoon, BBC deputy chief Ahmad Zainuddin said the club held an emergency meeting and unanimously agreed to urge Shahrir to reconsider his decision.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, at another press conference, also called on Shahrir to retract his resignation and reminded him to respect the majority decision in the House.

"I hope he doesn't think that (when backbenchers do not join him) the backbenchers are casting aspersions on his leadership. The motion is too general and usually, we don't support a motion tabled by the opposition," said the minister, who oversees parliamentary affairs.

Kit Siang is angry

On the other hand, Lim said he was angry about the whole issue and was not shocked with Shahrir's decision.

"I am angry, he is angry too on all these nonsense over parliamentary independence, autonomy, credibility and integrity. It's a shameful day for Parliament.

"The motion is not to cast aspersion on anybody. If it is untrue, we can clear the concerned MP's name, clear Parliament's name and show that we have integrity, we don't hide under parliamentary privilege. Whereas if it's true, then we take action," he added.

A number of backbenchers when approached also registered surprise and shock over Shahrir's decision.