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KUCHING: An Opposition assemblyman has been fined the maximum RM2,000 by the Sarawak Legislative Assembly for bringing disrepute to the Speaker in a Facebook post.
Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh moved a motion on Wednesday (Nov 14) to punish Violet Yong (DAP-Pending) for contempt of the House for suggesting on Facebook that Speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar earned an annual salary of RM5.9mil.
Yong had uploaded a post on Tuesday (Nov 13) which stated “Charged Exp. (expenditure) T.02 Sarawak DUN (state legislative assembly) Speaker emoluments for the year 2019 is RM5,947,000.00”.
Wong said this was “factually incorrect” as the RM5.9mil included the salaries and allowances of the Speaker and deputy speaker as well as fixed allowances for assemblymen.
He said Yong should have done her homework or sought clarification in the House before making “wild and make-believe stories” about the Speaker’s salary.
“Perhaps she is ignorant of accounting procedures and principles, or else this is a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the Speaker’s office or the Speaker himself to promote her political agenda,” he said.
In response, Yong said she was only reproducing a subhead from the state budget in her Facebook post.
“I would like to make clear that there is no malice to bring disrepute to the House or Speaker,” she said.
As she declined to delete the post or apologise, Wong proposed that a fine of RM2,000 be imposed on her.
This is the maximum fine provided under Section 24(1) of the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Privileges and Powers) Ordinance.
The motion was carried with 62 votes in favour to eight against.
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