Focus Malaysia:
“Gladiatrix Siti Kasim should just sue foul mouth Jerlun MP as his immunity has limitation”
SUCH is the opinion of former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim after social activist and lawyer Siti Kasim challenged Jerlun MP Dr Abd Ghani Ahmad to repeat his claim that she had insulted Islam on a couple of issues outside the Dewan Rakyat.
The opposition-slant UMNO member said Siti need not wait for the PAS lawmaker to repeat his statements outside the august house because MPs’ so-called immunity and privileges are limited to speeches or conduct made during legitimate parliamentary proceedings.
“The Jerlun MP was attacking Siti’s character out of the blue,” Zaid pointed out in his latest social media post on the X platform.
Siti Kassim
I am glad the gladiator Siti Kasim has responded to her accuser, Jerlun MP, in her unmistakable fashion. She threatens to sue him for calling her a liberal who had insulted Islam
But Siti should not wait for him to repeat his statements outside the House. Members of… Show more
“India’s Chief Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud clarified that privileges and immunity conferred on MPs pertain to purposeful and necessary matters in Parliament proceedings to preserve representative democracy.
“In other words, not everything uttered or misconduct committed in the House is protected.”
For the record, Siti Kasim has challenged Abd Ghani to repeat his allegations outside Parliament so she could sue him.
Ghani had during the Budget 2025 debate questioned the government on its plans to curb “liberal” Muslims like Siti Kasim whom he claimed had “openly insulted Islam by calling for the shutting down of tahfiz schools and having disputed the controversy surrounding sale of socks bearing the “Allah” inscription”.
Ghani also accused liberal Muslims of creating a “dangerous trend” through their interpretations of religious texts and espousing beliefs that he claimed contradicted the fundamental tenets of Islam.
He contended that these “liberal” views included assertions that all faiths were equal and for people of different religions to celebrate each other’s festivities.
In essence, Zaid who had for a short spell acted as the defence counsel for incarcerated former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak reckoned that “unleashing scurrilous attacks on Siti Kassim for defending principles of the Federal Constitution such as freedom and personal liberties aren’t protected under parliamentary immunity”.
“In fact, the Speaker (if he has the stomach) should reprimand the Jerlun MP for his unbecoming conduct. All Malaysian MPs should defend libertarians like Siti Kassim in a democracy,” stressed the founder of Zaid Ibrahim & Co, the largest private law firm in Malaysia (which he no longer owns).
“Anyway, Siti sued him la. There is no need to wait for him to repeat outside Parliament. He won’t (do so).
“Let’s see if the Malay women’s movement will galvanise themselves to fight back against male chauvinism which for so long had been used to discriminate and belittle women in the guise of protecting religion.” – Oct 25, 2024
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