KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PKR-Permatang Pauh) and DAP stalwart Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) will remain as MPs until a judgment is made on their appeal cases in court, said Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia.
Pandikar made the decision following Karpal's question in the Dewan Rakyat Thursday about his and Anwar's status as MPs.
"I was made to understand that Bukit Gelugor (Karpal) was fined RM4,000 while Permatang Pauh (Anwar) was sentenced to five years in jail.
"Seeing that both MPs have already filed appeals in the higher courts, their fate had yet to be decided. Hence, the MP status of both of them will remain," Pandikar said.
Under Article 48(1)(e) of the Federal Constitution, an MP will be disqualified if he has been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for one year and above or fined RM2,000 and above and has not received a free pardon.
Karpal was fined RM4,000 by the High Court over a sedition charge while Anwar was sentenced to five years' jail by the Court of Appeal, which overturned the High Court's aquittal of his sodomy charge.
Pandikar ruled that Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri was not misleading the House for assuming that the Subang air traffic control had asked the missing MH370 to make a turn back.
"I received a letter from Kudat (Abdul Rahim) who explained the matter.
"He said it was his assumption and I do not see any malicious intentions to mislead the House," he said in reply to Lim Lip Eng (DAP - Segambut), who had wanted to cite Abdul Rahim to the Rights and Privileges Committee for allegedly misleading the House.
On another matter raised by Tian Chua (PKR - Batu), Pandikar asked Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim to explain his purported suggestion that Malaysians vote for leaders of their own race in elections.
Shahidan had said Malaysia would stick to the present first-past-the-post electoral system.
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