Pertahankan demokrasi berparlimen and hormati keistimewaan perundangan / Uphold parliamentary democracy and respect legislative privileges

[ENGLISH VERSION BELOW] Kami, pihak yang bertandatangan di bawah, mendesak semua parti politik dan wakil rakyat untuk mempertahankan demokrasi berparlimen serta menghormati keistimewaan perundangan, lebih-lebih lagi apabila menyentuh isu yang sensitif.

Kami amat kesal dengan serangan berbaur populisme perkauman (ethno-populist) terhadap ahli dewan undang negeri untuk Seri Kembangan, Wong Siew Ki, ekoran ucapan beliau dalam sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor pada 22 April.

Beliau telah mencadangkan sistem penternakan babi secara moden dan tertutup, serta berhujah bahawa risiko pencemaran dan kebersihan bagi semua jenis ternakan wajar mendapat pertimbangan dasar yang konsisten.

Walaupun Sultan Selangor telah menzahirkan titah bahawa ladang babi tidak harus dibenarkan di Selangor, perkara ini tidak sepatutnya dijadikan senjata politik oleh mana-mana wakil rakyat untuk membungkam rakan ahli dewan yang lain.

Wakil rakyat diberi mandat untuk mengangkat suara pengundi agar badan perundangan menjadi sebuah forum inklusif, di mana pelbagai nilai, kepentingan dan aspirasi boleh dipertimbangkan demi mencari pilihan dasar serta perundangan yang paling tuntas.

Justeru, memandangkan penternakan babi merupakan isu sensitif yang mempunyai kesan terhadap alam sekitar, sensitiviti budaya, sekuriti makanan dan inflasi, maka perbahasan dasar yang rasional dan berasaskan bukti menjadi lebih kritikal bagi mengelakkan kesan dasar yang tidak diingini.

Jika kita benar-benar percaya bahawa manusia sengaja dicipta dengan kelainan kaum untuk saling mengenali, maka kita harus bersedia untuk memahami pandangan orang lain dalam proses menggubal undang-undang dan dasar.

Inilah sebabnya badan perundangan demokratik memberikan keistimewaan bagi melindungi kebebasan bersuara ahli dewan daripada pendakwaan. Keistimewaan dewan undangan negeri diperuntukkan secara nyata di Perkara 72 Perlembagaan Persekutuan.

Walaupun pindaan Akta Hasutan 1971 mengenakan sekatan terhadap keistimewaan parlimen dan perundangan bagi empat perkara perlembagaan (Bahagian III, Perkara 152, 153 dan 181), isu penternakan babi tidak tertakhluk kepada sekatan tersebut.

Adalah sama sekali tidak wajar bagi mana-mana ahli dewan untuk cuba membungkam pandangan rakan sejawat yang dizahirkan dengan niat baik (good faith), sama ada percubaan itu berpunca daripada keangkuhan, kejahilan, mahupun ketaasuban yang nyata.

Kami mengecam tindakan ahli dewan untuk Taman Medan Dr Afif Bahardin (dari Perikatan Nasional) yang cuba merujuk Wong ke Jawatankuasa Hak dan Kebebasan dewan negeri. Ini adalah tindakan tidak bertanggungjawab untuk menyekat kebebasan ahli dewan selain sengaja mencetuskan sentimen perkauman.

Usul tersebut telah ditolak sewajarnya oleh Speaker Lau Weng San.

Kami menggesa ketua pembangkang dewan negeri Azmin Ali untuk membimbing ahli dewan di bawah naungan beliau untuk menghayati kepentingan mempertahankan demokrasi berparlimen, menghormati keistimewaan perundangan, dan bertindak secara bertanggungjawab demi semua lapisan masyarakat.

English version

Even on sensitive issues, uphold parliamentary democracy and respect legislative privileges

We, the undersigned, urge all political parties and elected representatives to uphold parliamentary democracy and respect legislative privileges, even and especially when the subject matter is a sensitive issue.

We lament the ethno-populist attacks on the assembly member for Seri Kembangan, Wong Siew Ki, for her speech during the Selangor State Legislative Assembly sitting on 22 April.

She proposed modern, closed-system pig farming and argued that pollution and hygiene risks of all livestock deserve consistent policy consideration.

While the sultan of Selangor has expressed his opinion that no pig farm should be allowed in Selangor, this should not be used as a partisan weapon by any elected representative to silence fellow lawmakers.

Elected representatives are mandated to represent the voices of their constituents so that the legislature can become an inclusive forum, where diverse values, interests and preferences may be considered in finding the best policy and legislative options.

Precisely because pig-farming is a sensitive issue with impacts on the environment, cultural sensitivity, food security and inflation, rational and evidence-based policy debates are even more important to avoid unintended policy consequences.

If we truly believe that humans are deliberately made different to know each other, then we must be prepared to know about others’ views to attain lawmaking and policymaking.

This is exactly why democratic legislatures confer privileges to protect lawmakers’ free speech from prosecution.

The privileges of state legislative assemblies are explicitly provided for by Article 72 of the Federal Constitution.

While the 1971 amendment of the Sedition Act imposes restrictions to parliamentary and legislative privileges concerning four constitutional matters (Part III, Articles 152, 153 and 181), pig farming is not covered.

Lawmakers must never attempt to silence the views of their legislative colleagues expressed in good faith, whether such attempt stem out of arrogance, ignorance or sheer bigotry.

We denounce the attempt by the assembly member for Taman Medan, Dr Afif Bahardin (from Perikatan Nasional) to refer Wong to the Selangor assembly’s Committee of Privileges. This is an irresponsible act to curtail lawmakers’ freedom besides stirring up communal sentiments.

Fittingly, the motion was rejected by Speaker YB Lau Weng San.

We urge the Selangor assembly’s Opposition Leader, Azmin Ali, to educate his fellow lawmakers on the importance of upholding parliamentary democracy, treasuring legislative privileges, and acting responsibly for all segments of society.

Initiated by: Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek Sama)

Endorsed by 51 civil society organisations and two political parties:

Civil society organisations