Chong gestures to reporters after the High Court ruled that Dr Ting was no longer disqualified as Pujut assemblyman.
KUCHING: Bandar Kuching MP and Kota Sentosa assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen said the High Court’s judgement today sent a “very strong message to the speaker of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN)”.
“He (DUN speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar) can act like god in DUN but outside DUN, his ruling looks like a fool. I’ve always said that he (Asfia) is the judge, the prosecutor and the enforcer in DUN.
“He is the almighty (in DUN). But stepping out of DUN, he is subject to the law. Today, the judgement has indicated that he cannot act above the law. The speaker is not above the law,” he told reporters outside the High Court after Judge Datuk Douglas Christo Primus Sikayun’s decision to restore Dr Ting Tiong Choon as Pujut assemblyman.
Chong, who is also state DAP chairman, said now that the case was settled, there will be no Pujut by-election.
“Dr Ting is restored as the rightfully elected ADUN (member of the august House). And the speaker has to be held accountable for the mess that he created,” he said.
He added that the case “goes down as a stigma on Abg Jo’s (Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg) chief ministership” as it happened in the first sitting after the latter was sworn in as Sarawak’s sixth Chief Minister on Jan 13.
Chong said the judgement should serve as a lesson to the state Barisan Nasional (BN) for its leaders and elected representatives to respect the law and the constitution.
“They should learn to respect the law, the principles of natural justice and the principle of reasonableness in their decisions, policies and the laws that they pass,” he said.