PETALING JAYA, Nov 26 – PKR praised five of their state representatives in Penang, who abstained from voting on a controversial land reclamation motion tabled by Umno on last Thursday, said PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil. In a statement here yesterday, he said the leadership of PKR was satisfied with the explanations given by the five, and encouraged more representatives to practice conscience voting. He said PKR also allow voting by conscience vote in certain issues.
“However, the five representatives chose to abstain from voting ‘as it was a complicated environmental issue’. Although PKR is opposed to Umno’s in this issue, but the motion that apply to land reclamation project in the future through environmental analysis is a good. PKR has satisfied with the explanation from the five state assembly, and assume that conscience voting is a normal democratic practice that should be encouraged in the country,” said Fahmi.
Last Friday, the Speaker Datuk Law Choo Kiang had also been rejected the motion tabled by Muhamad Farid Saad (BN-Pulau Betong) after 23 assemblymen voted against it, 10 supported and the PKR five abstained. PKR has 10 seats in the 40-seat State assembly. Out of the other PKR assemblymen, two were not present while the others voted “Nay”.
The decision by PKR representatives to abstain however earned the ire of Chief Minister and DAP Secretary-General, Lim Guan Eng. The party also appealed to its lawmakers to refrain for issuing further statements as the issue will be discussed at the Pakatan Harapan level.
