BN REPS IN SELANGOR BUSY WITH SOMETHING ELSE

The empty seats in the front row of the opposition bench only mean one thing, either

they are are not intersted in the affairs of the state or they are busy with something else.

Previous state assembly sittings were held over an average of four

days. There were very liitle to discuss or debate.

This session had been the longest-ever state assembly sitting in the history of the

state. The seven day sitting with six hours of extension, had been focused on

discussing the 2009 state budget and macro level implementations.

BN reps rapped for being absent from Selangor assembly
SUN2SURF
SHAH ALAM (oct 29, 2008) : The opposition in Selangor were today rapped by Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim who called them "kaki ponteng" (truants) for being absent from the state assembly hearing.

Pointing at the empty seats in the front row of the opposition bench, he said: "Look Sungai Panjang (Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo), Seri Serdang (Datuk Mohamad Satim Diman), Sementa (Datuk Abdul Rahman Palil) and the rest are all missing."

"They must be tired and not used to the long hours put into discussing matters in the state," said Ng referring to the short state assembly sessions under the previous administration.

Ng had been the sole opposition leader in the Dewan in the past state administration when his colleague and then Sungai Pinang assemblyman and present state assembly speaker Teng Chang Khim was suspended for 30 days.

The DAP representative had been the target of teasing and jokes then but took his role as the sole opposition member seriously despite the mocking comments he had to face.

Ng who speaks fluent Malay and Javanese in gesturing towards the empty seat said: "We must tell people in Selangor to change these people."

They thought they would be here "dulu, kini dan selamanya" (in the past, the present and forever) but now it seems that they will be here "dulu, kini dan sampai sini sahaja" (in the past, the present, and ending now), he said.

One of the few Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblyman for Sungai Burong Datuk Mohd Shamsudin Lias stood up to defend his colleagues and asked Ng to check the attendance record saying that Ng’s comments were malicious.

Teng then told Mohd Shamsudin: "The facts are in front of you, no one in the front rows of the opposition have been present all day."

The absence of BN assemblymen had been brought up several times during this sitting especially by executive councilor for Islam and Malay affairs, and infrastructure and public amenities Datuk Dr Hassan Ali who lamented about having to talk to empty chairs on the opposition wing.