KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — DAP MP Charles Santiago was expelled from Parliament today after he refused to apologise for calling Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia’s decision on a motion as “nonsensical”.
Charles questioned Pandikar’s decision to reject his motion on the issue of deaths caused by dengue, and was later escorted out after he continued to urge for the motion despite Pandikar’s repeated call for him to retract his remark.
“As an MP, I have a right to bring up this issue for discussion, but that right was denied. This is not only about my right, but the lives of the public, their right to life.
“If you cannot discuss about the right to life in Parliament, where else can you do it?” the Klang MP asked at the sidelines of the Parliament.
In his explanation to reject Charles’ motion, Pandikar explained that Putrajaya has formed a special task force at the state level and undertaken dengue control mega operations that he said have been effective.
“If they were effective, why did 144 people died? This is ridiculous … Is this a way for a Speaker to make a decision?” the DAP man asked.
Charles said that there has been 144 deaths between January and June this year, double the figure of 72 in the same period last year.
He also accused the Speaker of double-standards, comparing to a motion on the water issue proposed by a Barisan Nasional MP, that was allowed yesterday.
