BN MPs cannot vote according to conscience: Pak Lah
Tuesday, 09-05-2006Tuesday, May 09, 2006
BN MPs cannot vote according to conscience: Pak Lah
(Bernama)—Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stressed Monday that Barisan Nasional (BN) members of Parliament must toe the party line and are not free to vote according to their conscience in any motion moved in Parliament.
The prime minister said that every party member, including BN MPs, has to observe the discipline and must understand this.
“All party members have rules that they must understand and follow. There’s discipline for each member… no relaxation or freedom is given for them to do as they like. That’s the party rule,” he told reporters here.
He was asked to comment on a statement by the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BNBBC) Monday asking that BN MPs be given the freedom to vote according to their conscience on motions moved in Parliament.
The BNBBC, however, acknowledged the practice in the House of Commons in Britain where the party whip could compel the MPs to vote according to the party’s decision in important issues like finance bills, vote of no confidence and second reading of important bills.
Earlier, Abdullah, who is also Umno president, chaired a four-hour Umno supreme council meeting at Menara Datuk Onn here.
Asked why the BN did not adopt the approach of some developed countries which give their party members freedom to decide on any motion tabled, he said the democracy practised by the BN had proven successful until now.
“We have our own democracy, We have survived based on what we have practised before. We will continue to practise as we have before,” he said.
Last Thursday, Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad resigned as BBC chairman after the majority of the BN MPs did not support his stand on a motion moved by opposition leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) to bring to the Rights and Privileges Committee a news report alleging misconduct by an MP for interfering in the affairs of the customs department.
Monday, BNBBC secretary Datuk Rosli Mat Hassan, after a meeting of the BNBBC committee, issued a four-page statement asking the government and party to allow them to vote according to their conscience.
On Shahrir’s resignation, Abdullah said: “We wanted to remove him from the post but he already expected action to be taken, so with that Datuk Shahrir is no longer chairman of the BNBBC and I believe that he will not be appointed to the post again.”
Asked about the BNBBC’s proposal that Shahrir be re-appointed as BNBBC chairman, which would be decided at a special meeting of the club Tuesday, he said all parties must respect Shahrir’s decision to relinquish the post.
He said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz would meet the BNBBC members Tuesday to further explain Shahrir’s case.
Abdullah also said that Shahrir need not be disciplined for supporting the opposition motion because he had already taken pre-emptive action by resigning.
He said he regarded the Shahrir issue closed and again praised Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for his wise action as the party whip in accepting Shahrir’s resignation.
Abdullah said that Shahrir, who attended the supreme council meeting, did not give further explanation for his action.
He said the meeting also discussed Shahrir’s proposal that the government set up a select committee on guidelines on ethics for MPs when dealing with civil servants.
He said that in general, the council viewed the proposal as a good one and would further discuss the pros and cons before submitting it to the government.
In order for a society to progress and advance, there must be some principle values that shall not evolve by time, change of government, policy or whatsoever. These principle values shall be the guide for betterment of everyone in the society. Some of the core principle values, inter alia, like morality, justice and what is right and wrong should be upheld no matter which side of the fence one stands i.e BN or Opposition. This is what I want to see in our MP. They are the people that legislate and mould the Dewan Rakyat. I understand if one is a minister he/she would need to take side because they have a master to serve. However, when you are an elected MP, your master shall be guided by your conscience , the core principle values of life and society and your object shall be for collateral good rather than individual or party’s rights. When all our MPs have such attribute, that is when Malaysia will prosper and become a better nation. However, as a leader one would demands loyalty of its clan and our PM have every right to demand that all BN’s MP to vote in tandem with BN’s propoganda and mandate. That is why every government would like to have a 2/3 majority over the opposition. Since, the BN’s MP cannot vote according to conscience, do we as the rakyat have a choice? Can we vote with conscience? Indeed we have a choice, a choice to follow our conscience, a choice not to grant any government to much of autonomy powers like reducing their 2/3 majority to 1/2 and let the other 1/2 vote with conscience. Every laws that are to be tabled will be debated properly to garner support rather than to pass it abruptly as it is part of BN’s agenda. We should be grateful as our PM had told us the truth rather than to give us a vague and distorted answer whether a BN’s MP can vote for a good, reasonable and conscienable motion effected by an opposition’s MP. Since, the BN’s MP cannot vote with conscience, it is our duty now to vote with conscience. Not that all opposition MP will vote with conscience, but we have done our part by giving the elected MP a choice rather that giving them 2/3 majority.
Comment by seequa — Tuesday, 09-05-2006 @ 18: 35.53
Sorry case, but we have noted theyare like kids who tasted ice creams, and sugary candies, the sweetness, and the nice taste will not let go of these. Addiction of power to direct, and control is too strong for those who has power to really share withothers.
They will always hid behind the masks and mislead others by preaching thatthey are sharing powers, and they are fair, and honest….
In the past, we knew if we tried to ask the kids to put away too excessive candies, too muchof ice creams, the kids will cry and throw tantrums, this is the same, the BN leaders will not let go of the power to direct, and power to control.
They will only wanted to pretend to act fair, be honest, and act to be kind.
It is the real addiction of power had been the real agenda, and real reason to turmn down any good motion.
Hence, forget about these calls, pray instead, we will seek for GOD’s divine helps, hopefully, these greedy people and addicted people will be saved, and let go otheir addiciton of power, and money.
Prayto GOD will help them to understand real values like integrity, honesty, fairness, justice, transparency, kindness, and be really brave to defend real justice, and hopefully withour prayers, and dreams to have a utopia inMalaysia, we prayed thatPM’s late wife will remind PM to be brave and be a real good PM, and praythatPM will not repeat the ‘mistakes’ of allowing his relatives and sons, son inlaw ot be involved in the money or politics while he lead, and this will save him from having to BAIL them out eventually!
A Real leader can only be clean if and onlyif he has no worries about his immediate families being ‘hurdles’ for him to be clean and freed from any encumbrances!
Prayto GOD if PM can read and understand clearly of his pledges, be fair to all Malaysians and really listen clearly the views of good citizens, not those who surrounded him with greed and demands for fast and easy money, deprived others of justice!
Comment by lcclck — Tuesday, 09-05-2006 @ 19: 01.37
I try to be brief
1) our BN MP cannot exercise their conscience even they have some
2) our backbenchers is suppose to be a rubber stamp for decisions of a few on top
3) in democracy, there are noble sayings like,”I disagree with you but I will defend to my death your freeedom to diagree with me” – well, I am looking all over in our parliment and I see nought
4) this means that the backbenchers just play the role of cheerleaders and not defenders of the right and voices of their constituents
5) Did the PM mention something about work with me and having a more open society? I must have read the wrong papers
6) we are not democracy, really but closer to a feudal system of yore
Look, Miss Kok, I think DAP needs to diversify its way if doing things. On one hand DAP can continue with exposing and highlighting malpractices and wrongs but I wonder if the rural voters really understand or give a @#%$ about this.
They form a big group of voters and I think DAP should go over to explain what Malaysia as a whole is losing out. Otherwise, BN can happily continue with labelling DAP as Chinese Chauvinist Party.
Comment by lee wee tak_ — Wednesday, 10-05-2006 @ 08: 50.41
Dear YB,
May I add further, the real problem is with the leaders of government in the
past and they had found the easy way out.
I am not blaming squarely on them, but just stating historical events since
1957.
Power is an addiction to most people, not a privilege of race, colour of
skins, it is blind to all these ‘genetic factors’ but more of an experience
and inert sins we had inherited.
It is only possible through divine cleansing we may have hopes.
Look here, the need of PM to appreciates that while he leads, he mustrealize
that the more he distant himself from the true values of good governance
such as transparency, fairness, justice, equalities in distribution of
wealth, an interesting equation for you to ponder :-
Corruption = power + monopoly – transparency -justice
When a government is holding such near absolute power of 92% of MPs in a
parliament, the power is nearly absolute, a 8% of ‘opposition’ is
insignificant.
Monopoly of power is really best bed to grow the seeds of corruption in the
‘black boxes’ or in the ‘darkness’
Transparency is what those who intend to corrupt will hate most, hate means
real dislike, and real against for those who to live in the darkness. Light
will expose them, and they will die if any light is allowed, and light will
‘burn’ them, extinguish their abilities to cheat, steal and rob in dark!
When there is little justice, corruption will triumph and will be champions,
those who have power, and monopoly like the chief whip of BN, and the
transparency will not assist him, while justice is not his cake or in his
dictionary, then, corruption will breed, and this is how we always note that
who are corrupted, they do not define corruptions as we do, they live in the
darkness, and in the balck box, fear of lights or exposures, any incidence
of lights or any person who tried to expose the details, they will try to
extinguish the lights of justice, to them, justice is to allow them to
continue their ways of interpretation.
Dato Seri Nazri, he was a real strange minister.
He was against Anwar, he was deputy to Rahim Thamby Chik during Malacca CM’s
scandal over a teenage Malay girl, he was the person who benefitted from the
downfall of Rahim Thamby Chik when he and the ‘unknown’ media powerful
people exposed and ‘sentensed RahimThamby Chik politically, then he was seen
as hero.
In the past, we had also noticed these ‘heroes’, Zahid was one of those who
raised Cryonnies and nepotism during Anwar’s salvo against Tun Dr Mahathir,
only then we were informed of the list of those who had gained so much
through the political partnerships in UMNO.
Darkness breeds corruption, and this is how PM must understand and act
against the ‘dark horses’ who are planning to bring his national integrity
plans down!
PM can never have the charisma of TUN DR Mahathir, he is unlike him. He will
never be able to achieve what TDM had over last 22 years of his
premierships.
He can be recorded well in history if he DARES to be different from the
PAST!
A cut off point we wish to see in him.
A cut off point for him to stop the breedings of corruptions and power
abuses.
PM has to wake up, not forgetting his vows and pledges he promised, to us,
to his late wife, and to his children, grandchildren, our kids, your kids,..
all Malaysians.
An argument about the discipline is more important than integrity of
parliament, and also the MP is elected due to party’s efforts, they are dead
wrong, and damn wrong!
MP is elected by constituents, and voters!
He represented his constituents, never mind if those voters who voted
against him, he is supposed to serve the people first, then party!
If we hope to practice patrotism, we cannot just assume party interest is
above nation’s interests!
It is true without party, the government is not powerful, but if without
people, there is no people to rule!
People’s interest must be the first priority, it is promised and pledged by
PM, in taking his oath before his acception of his premiership, his pledged
to serve the people, and nation!
Nation is made up of people, and then surely people’s interests should be
above the party!
People is bigger than the party, party is only 2 millions of UMNO members,
the people of nation is 26 millions!
Simple maths!
Please will these MPs who must have guts to tell their ministers, before
they were appointed to ministerships, they are MP first!, not ministers
first!
A, B, C…. so easy, how come they are not able to understand this?
Shame of those who still declare to follow BN’s or Chief whip’s instructions
inthe future, this is another sign of monopoly of power, and danger of
breeding the corruptions, sad and worrying.
Hope to hear from you.
Leow CC
Comment by lcclck — Wednesday, 10-05-2006 @ 18: 54.28