Chong receives notice to attend DUN sitting

1

Chong showing the notice from DUN for him to attend the upcoming DUN sitting from May 5 to 15.

KUCHING: State opposition leader Chong Chieng Jen confirmed yesterday that he received notice from the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) to attend the next sitting which will be convened from May 5 to 15.

“The notice dated April 5 was addressed to me to attend the meeting so my interpretation of my suspension was correct. Although at that time when they made the suspension, it was until such time when the speaker deems fit (for me to attend the sitting).

“However, my interpretation is that the speaker only has power to suspend me until the end of the session last year. There are two meetings in a year – on May and November. These two meetings constitute one session. So my suspension is over and I will be able to attend the next DUN sitting,” Chong, who is also Kota Sentosa assemblyman, told a press conference here yesterday.

When asked how many times he had been suspended from the DUN sitting, Chong, who is also state DAP chairman, said he had been suspended four times since he was elected in 2006, making him the only state elected representative with the most suspensions so far.

“I dislike being suspended but we have to stand by what we say and stay by our principle,” he said when asked whether he felt proud of being suspended.

Asked whether he would be more careful to avoid another suspension, Chong said it was not an issue because he believed that as an assemblyman he just has to say what is required.

“When you’re in DUN, we just have to say whatever that is required for us to say…to speak up for the people. No matter how unpalatable our speeches are, but we still need to deliver our message.”

Chong said among the issues to be brought up by state DAP would be the reduction of electricity tariff. He said so far, the state DAP had managed to collect over 70,000 signatures, which was very close to their target of 100,000 signatures.

“The signature collection started in February and the campaign will end this month-end before the DUN sitting starts. After that, we will submit all the signatures to the new chief minister (Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem).”

Chong was confident that DAP would be able to achieve the target of collecting 100,000 signatures, especially with the hard work given by all the DAP committee members and elected representatives throughout the state.

Besides the electricity tariff, he said the opposition elected representatives would also be touching on their expectations of the new chief minister.

On whether DUN speaker Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar would be more lenient this time around under the new chief minister, Chong responded: “I will not want to make any speculation on that. I think the speaker has to do what he has to do to be fair and just.”