This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on July 28, 2017

KUALA LUMPUR: In response to allegations by opposition lawmakers that their parliamentary questions on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) were rejected, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said the questions must obey the Standing Orders.

At a press conference in Parliament yesterday, Pandikar highlighted that the questions that had been rejected were in conflict with the Standing Orders.

“According to Standing Order 23(1)(c), the questions cannot contain any argument, interference, opinion, imputation, epithet or misleading, ironical or offensive expression nor shall a question be frivolous or be asked seeking information on trivial matters.

“Most of the rejected questions are related to 1MDB. As far as Parliament is concerned, that has already been investigated by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC),” he said, reiterating that the PAC is bipartisan, with members from both the ruling government and the opposition.

“However, when the report was tabled in Parliament, there were documents that could not be debated, as they were classified as official secrets,” added Pandikar.

He went on to say that if the documents were debated, it would be in conflict with Standing Order 23(1)(f), which states that “a question shall not seek information about any matter which is of its nature secret”.

“Should I go against the Standing Orders just because some opposition MPs are asking me to debate it?” he said.

He added that it would also be subjudice to discuss the 1MDB issue amid the civil action taken by the US Department of Justice.

Meanwhile, he said the PAC could reinvestigate 1MDB if it decides to do so, adding that there should not be anything in the way to stop a reinvestigation.