YOURSAY ‘It was a matter of ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but he said ‘no’ and got away scot free.’
Speaker clears Ahmad of 'misleading' charge
Sali Tambap: Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan could have said, "I will check that up," but instead he said there was no support letter, obviously defending the government and 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
It was a matter of 'yes' or 'no', but he said 'no'. Therefore, there was intent to mislead. His admission only came after evidence was made public.
As a high-ranking MP and a member of the government, Ahmad should not get away with it. MPs have been censured for much less.
House speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia perhaps should have called him out for such bad parliamentary behaviour.
Speaking Sense: When there are only two answers to the question, yes or no, and you say ‘no’ when the truth is ‘yes’, it means you have no intention of misleading anyone. It only means you are lying.
So, it is fair to lie and mislead Parliament, as long as the speaker thinks you only intended to lie, not mislead. This is the logic of the speaker of the nation's Parliament. Woe is Malaysia!
Bamboo: “Missed out six words” and got away scot free for lying.
Thank you, Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli for catching Ahmad lying. Too bad there isn't much we can do with the speaker colluding and abetting in helping Ahmad escape punishment.
Kim Quek: No, it was definitely not a slip of the tongue as claimed by Pandikar, as otherwise, Ahmad would have corrected himself and apologised.
But Ahmad remained recalcitrant , until the letter was exposed to the public, and even then, he cooked up another lie by saying that the letter did not amount to a guarantee under the Loans Guarantee (Bodies Corporate) Act of 1965.
Ahmad never made any public correction or public apology. So, House speaker Pandikar is obviously lying to cover up for his political ally.
When an MP lies to Parliament, we can refer him to the rights and privileges committee for disciplinary action, but what can we do with the speaker who deliberately lies to Parliament to cover up the misconduct of an MP? Propose a motion to censure him?
Any legal remedy to dump this scoundrel, who has consistently been abusing his authority to turn our Parliament into a mockery of democracy?
Angel: Ahmad himself never said he did not have "bad intent" but you, Pandikar, are saying it for him. Why don’t you refer yourself for him to the rights and privileges committee so that you can say this for him?
Abu_Maryam: Ahmad, you are doing your job well, while Rafizi and Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua try to create controversy among the people in Malaysia.
One of the reasons people hate politics is that seeking the truth is rarely a politician's objective. Election and power are their objectives.
But, I say, people hate politics because of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat MPs.
Baby Boy: We hope Rafizi will respect the House without bringing up any nonsense issues. The speaker knows the truth and the fact, and the same goes for Ahmad. I hope you, Rafizi, will keep quiet now and listen to the brief by Ahmad.
Lau: Now anyone can stand up and say something, and admit later that there were other words missing and that the intention of actual meaning to the statement was misconstrued? Is this how our Parliament is run?
Otakechik: In any exam, if you give incorrect answer you fail. But in this country, with all the special rights for a particular community, I suppose you can get away with any wrongdoing.
Lim Chong Leong: A case clearly of ‘you help me, I help you’ in Parliament.
How can a deputy minister give a wrong answer in Parliament only to correct it in a press statement, outside Parliament? The Hansard would record the wrong answer and not the press statement.
Whoever reads the Hansard will be misled by the wrong statement. Where is the sanctity of the House in this?
Petson01: Pandikar should be charged for complicity or cover-up of the biggest swindle of the rakyat's money.
Adsertor: The guiding principle of the Najib Abdul Razak administration - You rub my back, I rub yours. All in the spirit of 1MDB. Borrowing and sharing is the key.
Vijay47: Pandikar's statement reflects his caring nature and his concern for Malaysia's Members of Parliament.
This is to encourage them to be even more committed to their service for king, country, and the sanctity of Islam.
We must all admire the good speaker's sharp analysis of the situation, where Ahmad was seen as not having any "bad intentions" in his wrongful reply, an astuteness also seen in that other kind gentleman, the attorney-general who did not find any ill-will in Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali's call for the Bible to be burned.
But patience and generosity cannot always be the sole guiding light where parliamentary conduct and procedure are concerned.
So it is speaker Pandikar's duty now to charge Rafizi for raising this unwelcome issue in the first place and subjecting Ahmad to unnecessary embarrassment and inconvenience.
After all, any deputy finance minister can make a simple mistake, where a mere RM9.5 billion is involved.
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