Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/04/10/no-penalty-for-deputy-ministers-u-turn/
(By Anisah Shukry, 10/4/2014)
The Dewan Rakyat Speaker decides not
to refer Abdul Rahim Bakri to the Rights and Privileges Committee.
The Kudat MP escaped being referred
to the Rights and Privileges Committee on the ground that he had no intention
to mislead.
Pandikar Amin said: “To determine
whether a statement uttered in the Dewan is misleading, the following
principles can be used as guidance: is the statement misleading; when making
the statement, was the deputy minister aware it was false and inaccurate; when
making the statement, did the deputy minister intend to mislead the House.
“Based on those principles and the
deputy minister’s explanation in his letter to me, I have decided that there
was no intent to mislead the House when the statement was made.”
On March 26, Abdul Rahim gave an
explanation to Parliament of the air force’s failure to probe an extraordinary
blip that appeared on its radar some time in the wee hours of March 8. He said
it was thought that the aircraft was not hostile and had received a directive
from air traffic control in Subang to turn back.
But the next day, he released a
brief statement saying his remarks represented his own assumptions and were not
accurate.
Abdul Rahim’s statements prompted
Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng of DAP to move a motion to refer him to the Rights and
Privileges Committee.
Upon hearing Pandikar’s decision,
Lim argued that stern action should be taken to prevent Cabinet members from
making statements in the Dewan that conflicted with statements they made
outside.
“Which is true? He said in the Dewan
that it was the air force’s assumption. Outside the Dewan he said it was his
own assumption,” Lim said.
“If we don’t take serious action
against him, all ministers and deputy ministers will say one thing inside the
Dewan and another thing outside the Dewan. I am not satisfied and hope that the
Speaker will reconsider this.”
Pandikar replied: “According to him,
what he mentioned in the Dewan was his own assumption, and this was made clear
in the statement he made outside.
“After taking all into
consideration, I do not see that he had any ill intent.”
Flight MH370 went missing during a
routine flight from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport
to Beijing
It has been established that the
jetliner deviated from its original flight path.
Many commentators have said a
telephone call from the military to air traffic control could have averted the
crisis.
'Rahim
didn't confuse House with assumption' http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/259619
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