[ad_1]
PETALING JAYA: Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah (pix) received praise and criticism for leaving Dewan Rakyat as former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak spoke during the 2021 budget debate on Tuesday.
Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto said that even she would not have sat at Najib’s speech.
“I refuse to be in the Dewan Rakyat while Najib Razak, a criminal convicted of corruption, debates the 2021 budget for 90 minutes as president of the BN Backbenchers (Club),” Kasthuri said in a Facebook post.
“Doesn’t BN have another representative?” said in the same post.
In a tweet yesterday, Maria noted that the former prime minister had already been convicted of a crime, but was still present as director of the BN Backbenchers Club.
“He is given the opportunity to debate as if nothing had happened. I protested about this and left, ”he said in his tweet.
However, political commentator Prof Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi told the Sun that he does not agree with Maria’s action.
“Until someone has exhausted all legal avenues, their opinions should still matter,” Tajuddin said, adding that Najib had been given a platform to speak out and his suggestions made sense.
“Personally, I think it is morally wrong to abandon him during the speech. He still has the right as a deputy to express his opinions ”.
When asked whether MPs facing trial or conviction should be asked to leave Parliament, Tajuddin said it would come down to how these sentences are taken in context.
Jason Loh Seong Wei, Director of Social, Legal and Human Rights at Emir Research Malaysia, noted that while Najib has been convicted of the crime of corruption, the same court also granted him bail pending his appeal against the conviction. .
“Therefore, his sentence is not yet final.”
Loh said there should be no general rule on whether a deputy should be prohibited from debating whether he has been convicted of a crime.
“Context-specific reasons or factors must be taken into account.”
Loh agreed that it would be ideal for an elected official facing trial to resign or voluntarily retire, as in Japan. However, he said it will take a long time for Malaysia to accept such a culture.
“What we need is public pressure, perhaps in the form of a nationwide signature drive. If our society is not very convinced of this, we cannot introduce this practice. “
[ad_2]
