I have just talked to YB Miss Fong Po Kuan, MP for Batu Gajah this morning. YB told me that Minister in the Prime Minister in-charged of Parliament Affairs, Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Aziz was melatah-ing and merepek-ing on the so-called “misundestanding” of his intention to set up a Parliament Department (Jabatan Parlimen), which he later dramatically denied and claimed to be just a post of Director. Thus, “the incident of big J and small j”.

It’s simply idiotic ! Or should I say, it’s so Malaysiana !

What did Nazri have in mind for this department ? Just to look after the administrative stuff, or to put the legislative branch under the fangs of the Executives ? If the latter, surely Malaysia will be the pariah of democracy in the world again by going against separation of powers between Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. Quoting Azizah, it’s an insult to our intelligence !

The House Committee of the Senate has made a stand on bringing back the Parliament Service Act 1963 (PSA) that Tun terminated in 1992. PSA had allowed the Parliament to run their own administration, but since 1992 that has come under Public Service Department. Nazri claimed that if the House of Representative longs for PSA, their House Committee should decide, for being Parliament’s own aspiration, the bill should not be initiated by Cabinet.

He is right. Rightly getting rid of his responsibility. The House Committee is chaired by the Speaker, Datuk Seri Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib who severely lacks political will. He’s reluctant to call the meeting eventhough the DAP member in House Committe has been asking for it for numerous times.

Chairman of Backbencher Club (BBC), Datuk Shahrir Samad has been talking and acting aloud to the press outside Parliament, as if they are the champion. However, without pressing Ramli to call the House Committee meeting, all that he has done is cheap talk di bibir aje. It’s also pointless for anyone else to propose it as a private member’s bill, for its chance of getting through is slim.

The way I see it, our Parliament may only regain its independence (and society’s respect for it) if we have a majority of democrats sitting in it, be it from DAP, Keadilan or others, who knows the ABCs of democracy and separation of power. Better if they also understand the importance of separation of church and state. Do Malaysians hope for a better future ? Don’t just hope, the choice is in your hand ! :-)