The Malaysian Insider

By Asrul Hadi Abdulla Sani

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong wants Datuk Shafie Abdullah, political secretary to Datuk Seri Najib Razak, to be suspended pending investigations that he had interfered in Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) operations.

Wee also urged Shafie to resign to help protect the credibility of the prime minister.

“We hope the prime minister will order all ministers not to interfere in Parliament and official works such as DBKL, unless ordered by him,” the PKR lawmaker told a press conference in Parliament.

“A civil servant should be suspended with his pay docked when he is accused or if there is a police investigation on him. I also hope that Shafie Abdullah will be suspended immediately so that [the] investigation can be conducted smoothly. If he is responsible, then he should resign to protect the interests of the prime minister,” he added.

The Dewan Rakyat passed a rare motion, under the Privileges and Powers Act 1952, to set up a special committee to investigate Shafie for alleged interference in DBKL operations after Wee claimed the political secretary had become “de-facto Federal Territory minister”.

The special committee will investigate the allegations made by Wee against Shafie for intimidating him at the Parliament lobby, after the PKR lawmaker raised the issue during a debate.

The committee will chaired by Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, while  the  deputy chairman will be his deputy, Datuk Ronald Kiandee. The rest of the committee members are MPs from Bintulu (BN) Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing; Alor Gajah (BN) Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn; Batang Sadong (BN) Nancy Shukri; Subang (PKR) R. Sivarasa; Ipoh Timur (DAP) Lim Kit Siang; and Tumpat MP (PAS) Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar.

“The parliament is an executive government body and I hope this will become an example and warning to all political secretary that they do not come to parliament to meddle into matters which are not theirs.

“If they are unhappy, then they should tell their bosses so that their bosses can bring it up in parliament,” Wee said.

A similar special committee was set up earlier this year when the wheelchair-bound Karpal Singh was surrounded and harassed by 30 Umno Youth members near the parking lot of the parliament.

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