MARCH 27 — In ”If there were allegations that could mislead Dewan Rakyat, were questions of privilege raised at the first opportunity?”, I referred to the classic work of Joseph Maingot who was Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel of Canada’s House of Commons and Member of the Law Reform Commission of Canada.

Maingot called each House of Parliament a "court” with respect to its own privileges and dignity and the privileges of each MP. The purpose is "to maintain the respect and credibility due to and required of each House in respect of these privileges, to uphold its powers, and to enforce the enjoyment of the privileges” of each MP. https://www.malaymail.com/news/what-you-think/2024/03/10/if-there-were-allegations-that-could-mislead-dewan-rakyat-were-questions-of-privilege-raised-at-the-first-opportunity-hafiz-hassan/122651/dw

But a House of Parliament is not a court of law where the veracity of a statement can be tested and ascertained by cross-examination.

The importance of cross-examination has been stressed in a plethora of decided cases, here and abroad. It has been said that cross-examination is: