By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Feb 15: Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong today got told off by Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap when she decided to compare the designation of ‘Premier’ which has been proposed to replace ‘Chief Minister’ with the Premier tissue brand.
“I do not know about the others, but when I read the word ‘Premier’, the first thing that came to my mind is a tissue paper brand,” she said before flashing a printout of the said tissue brand before all the elected representatives in DUN.
Yong used this to start her debate on the Constitution of the State of Sarawak (Amendment) Bill, 2022 which includes an amendment, amongst others, to Article 6(3) of the State Constitution to replace the title of ‘Chief Minister’ to ‘Premier’ to distinguish Sarawak from the states of Malaya.
Continuing with her analogy, she joked that one package of Premier tissue paper costs only RM9.99 in Shopee.
Despite the growing vocal objections from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) YBs, she carried on to highlight Premier credit cards and a commercial hub called Premier 101 here in Kuching.
Just then, Yap’s microphone was turned on by DUN Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar when the former interrupted Yong, saying: “Members are to confine their observations to the subject under discussion.”
“Introductions of things like tissue paper, credit cards and all that, it is not proper under Standing Order 32(1). I don’t think the (august) House should be subjected to this kind of rhetoric,” he added.
However, Yong countered by asserting the word ‘premier’ was indeed the subject matter to be debated on.
Yap then called on the Speaker to put a stop to Yong’s train of argument.
“Under Standing Order 32(11), the Speaker can make a decision on this particular matter whether this line of debate is allowed.”
Taking a more serious stance, Yong argued that the public could get confused over the word ‘premier’ if used to refer to the head of government of Sarawak.
Citing local news report in recent days, she said Universiti Malaya socio-political analyst Associate Professor Awang Azman Awang Pawi viewed that changing the designation of ‘Chief Minister’ to ‘Premier’ could cause confusion or misunderstanding to some.
“So, it’s not only me who’s confused. Even the associate professor opined that it will cause confusion,” she said in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here today.
Minutes into her speech, Yong was cut off again, this time by Mohamad Asfia, who questioned whether she would mistake a presidential suite as a President.
“There are so many hotels in the world, and all the hotels have rooms called presidential suites. Would you equate those rooms with the President of the United States?” the DUN Speaker asked.
Yong responded by saying that it is better to maintain the ‘Chief Minister’ title as the term is clear to indicate its holder as the head of a government while ‘Premier’ is not. — DayakDaily
