Teresa Kok

From: New Straits Times 27th October 2005

Unfriendly Parliament charge

PARLIAMENT is not “people-friendly”, charged an Opposition MP yesterday
The reason: It discriminates against women. Teresa Kok (DAP-Seputeh) said it was hard sometimes for women to gain entry into the Parliament building.

“If they dress a certain way, they are barred. If their clothes are a bit too tight, they are barred.

“In European countries, it’s easy. Even lobbyists are allowed into the Parliament building.”

In winding up debates on the 2006 Budget at committee stage, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz rejected the allegation.

“Ours is a very people-friendly Parliament. In the UK and France, the security surrounding their Parliament is very tight. They have military guards.

“On clothes, this is the first time I am hearing such an allegation. You should raise it with the Speaker. I am part of the Executive so if I bring the matter up, people will allege there is no separation of powers.”

Replying to several other questions on the Parliament building, Nazri admitted that the carpet with the bunga raya motif in the Dewan Rakyat was “an oversight”.

“I admit we made a mistake. It will be replaced.”

MPs had raised the matter during debates earlier, saying it was insulting to put the national flower on the carpet as everyone stepped on it.

On the marble flooring in Parliament, Nazri denied it was of poor quality as alleged.

“The marble floor here is of high quality and is the same as that in Istana Negara.”

On many other matters, however, Nazri returned to his earlier stance. He said the MPs should act on them and not refer the matter to him.

From the re-instatement of the Parliamentary Services Act to the establishment of standing committees, Nazri said MPs themselves should take the initiative and act on them.

Nazri’s non-committal replies did not go unnoticed. Deputy Speaker Datuk Lim Si Cheng teased him: “You seem to be leaving everything up to the MPs to decide today.”

Nazri replied: “Ya-lah, when I want to do something, they say there is interference from the Executive. Then they tell me to do something. To do or not to do, all this will make me go crazy. I want to be the MP for Padang Rengas, not Tanjung Rambutan.”