Dewan Diary - Day 6

By Y.B. Wong Ho Leng, ADUN for Bukit Assek

Ministers started their winding up speeches from today. The Ministers would state their Ministries’ policies, praise their Ministries’ performance, and, hopefully, answer most if not all the issues raised by ADUNs in their debates.

Vincent Goh has taken leave for today. I don’t know why all SUPP YBs from Sibu were absent this morning. One can safely bet that it would have something to do with the beauty pageant that is being held in Sibu. They all thought it a good idea to be near to these beauties.

We arrived at the Dewan, 30 minutes early. Our objective is to check the Hansard. We had read that Karim/Asa Jaya had said this: “We have honourable member for Kota Sentosa trying to arouse racial feeling by alleging private land in Demak Laut being taken by s.47 and used for Muslim cemetery”.

Chong never said this. And, this is not the first time that the BN had baselessly accused DAP of harping on racial or religious issues. Honestly, we abide by the Standing Orders more than anybody else. On my part, I had also been reminding my charges not to harp along racial or religious lines. It was by coincidence that Asa Jaya came early too, 15 minutes after us. I suggested to Chong to tell Asa Jaya that he would raise the issue when the sitting commenced. Asa Jaya said he realized that there was a mistake and didn’t mind that Chong would raise it. It was 9:01 a.m., and the only Minister in the Dewan when the Doa was read was Awang Tengah. As the business began, Chong raised a point of Order. It was perhaps early in the morning, but the adrenalin was already high for truth seeking by our side but evasion by Asa Jaya. Chong said he did not say which Asa Jaya had imputed him as saying. He made it well understood that the thrust of his speech was his objection that lucrative contracts were awarded without tender to CMS and Titanium. Asa Jaya did the obvious. He explained that those words were said by Dominique/PKR but that Chong also said it on another matter concerning tar sealing up to the mosque in his constituency. The explanation went on and on, and the altercation between Asa Jaya and Chong went on and on.

Why couldn’t it be simpler? I could not comprehend how a top brain on the BN (Asa Jaya is Chairman of the BN backbenchers Club) cum a lawyer could explain his admitted mistake in this manner. I supported Chong to say that the issue was basically very straight forward - Did Chong say those words which Chong complained of? Since Asa Jaya admitted that Chong did not, then those words complained of should be expunged.

The Speaker actually was in full agreement with me. He asked Asa Jaya whether he would wish to withdraw those words. Asa Jaya proved not to be gentleman after all. He said he just offered clarification that those words were said by Padungan/Dominique.

The Speaker is the custodian of the Hansard. He ought to direct the words complained of by Chong to be expunged and not let clarification of Asa Jaya stand.

The refusal by “naughty” Asa Jaya to withdraw words which he admitted to be a mistake caused a loss of 20 minutes of the Dewan’s precious time. The Speaker summed it up by saying that henceforth he will not allow racial or religious issues to be raised.

As a matter of fact, it was sometimes because extra words had been read in that had made innocent statements sensitive. Suppose the statement is “the road is tar sealed to the mosque”. Can’t the mosque or church or temple or airport or certain buildings etc be considered as easily identifiable landmarks? Why has this to be interpreted as raising religious or sensitive issues? Or do we have to carefully paraphrase it to say that “the road is tar sealed up to a building standing 200 feet from the junction”? Or what would happen if a member jumps to say, “hey, that chap is referring to that building which is a mosque”?

To the shocking dismay of all Sarawakians, the Minister did not announce the mechanics and formula of calculating the land renewal premium. When Chong asked about it, Awang Tengah said he had announced the principles, and would not be going to touch on renewal in his speech.

Throughout the morning, Awang Tengah was gentleman to take all questions raised by the Opposition. The fact that the BN raised not a single query during the 2 hour speech by Awang Tengah spoke so much about the easy-to-be-satisfied attitude of the BN backbenchers. The newspapers this morning were filled with columns of SUPP’s attack on the DAP over the issue of land lease renewal. We cheated the landowners, they said. Did we? We were equally disappointed that the Minister decided not to talk about it in the winding up speech. On the other hand, had we not fought so hard for automatic and unconditional renewal of land titles in the past few years, would there be RM2,600.00 renewal premium for a 4 point land in
Kenyalang Park (Kuching) with 18 years to go?

In the morning, reporters told us that Awang Tengah would be holding a press conference in the afternoon but we had not been told what he had said. If it concerned matters relating to land lease renewal and premium, then why wasn’t it disclosed in the Dewan? Why had they to be so scared that we would jump to raise questions on it?

I read in the papers this morning Allan Sim/SUPP as saying that the BN Ministers will tell the people that the Government adopts the “differential” method of valuation in calculating renewal premium. I was entitled to ask whether Allan Sim was trying to be smart alex. The Minister was certainly mute in the Dewan.

Earlier in the day, I had met up with Awang Tengah and let him know 2 of my concerns on his lease renewal policies, and they concerned the renewal of land imposed under s.47 Land Code, and the requirement that all co-owners must sign the papers before the land lease would be renewed. I did not see these issues addressed by Allan Sim or the SUPP, and certainly Awang Tengah had not spoken on them.

In answer to my question, Awang Tengah told the House that from his records, only one title had been converted from agricultural to shipbuilding usage. I said I knew of two. I asked the Minister to update the Dewan before the end of the day. The Minister said that was a fair statement but Asa Jaya, probably still furious after our altercation earlier in the morning, interjected and suggested that I should update the House. I am not a Government Minister. How do I update the House? “Naughty boy!” I yelled across, only to see him smiling some 50 feet from me. His guile and lack of wisdom had impressed me not.

Michael Manyin was still sick. Though coughing badly, he decided to read his winding up speech. He said he could not delegate this task to his deputy because the responsibility is too high. In fact, under the Standing Orders as amended during the sitting, not even his deputy could help him read his speech, not until 1.12.2007. I had 2 hours taken from me in an interview (on sexual harassment and women issues) with the Women Ministry but could hear arguments between Chong and Manyin over waste disposal and other local council matters in Kuching. Manyin accused Chong of quoting wrong statistics. Chong retorted that his information were from the Auditor General’s Report etc. The whole Dewan seemed to be on fire, with Dominique chipping in to mull Manyin. Poor Manyin, he really disliked loud noises. Several times he raised his voice, just that little, “No need to shout, my hearing is still good”.

Soon Koh started his replies relating to 2 of his Ministries, that of urban development and tourism. The Opposition members from Kuching would not let him off on the issue of a RM20m drainage that was a pre-election promise. Work was promised to start but up to now, none had. Soon Koh was just not forthcoming in his answer but said the answer was given by him in the last sitting and asked the Opposition Members to go read the Hansard again. On another mega project, DAP bench asked for answer which was not forthcoming. Soon Koh replied, “I know the answer but I won’t tell you”. What an irresponsible answer was that. Chong stood to specifically ask whether the award was given to members of the CM’s family. The BN backbenchers immediately booed and the Speaker directed Soon Koh not to answer. Sarawakians must ask why. Soon Koh could have said “I know the answer but I can’t tell you”.

Soon Koh covered a wide spectrum of matters relating to his Ministry. Unbeknown to the ordinary folks, his Ministry is in charge of such matters as museum and heritage, water quality, public transport, flooding, recreational Parks and landscaping, urban development and renewal, etc.

Soon Koh took questions from Chong and Dominique/PKR but decided to not let me ask my question when he said that more heritage buildings had to be gazetted. He said he chose to proceed. I had wanted to ask why Law King Howe Hospital site and the Memorial Museum were not declared as Sarawak’s heritage.

Soon after refusing me, Dominique had wanted to interject, only to see a smiling Soon Koh telling Dominique and the House, “We can always discuss over a cup of coffee”. Had that been the answer to me I would have fumed.

But the message intended was clear. It was then that the Dewan became a monologue, for well over 45 minutes. It was all Soon Koh addressing 31 members who “attentively” listened to his monologue report on Tourism (the rest were gone). Needless to say, Tourism is an important Ministry and income earner.

Exactly 2 hours after he had stood to speak, Soon Koh had finished, to a sigh of relief to all of us. “My head is spinning”, I heard Soon Koh telling his next-seat Abang Jo, who was the only Minister in the Dewan.

Soon Koh will resume tomorrow, on his Finance Ministry, and I can guarantee that there would be a lot of fireworks. We had raised so many issues, and we knew that he wanted to answer us. He won’t spare us. We will not cave in either.