Sarawak DUN suspends DAP’s Chong Chieng Jen over offensive language, unverified claims in Budget debate

KUCHING, Oct 16 — Chong Chieng Jen, a member of the DAP party in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN), has been suspended for the remainder of the DUN sitting due to misleading the House and making unsubstantiated allegations during the debate on the 2027 Sarawak Budget. The motion to suspend Chong was passed with a vote of 62 in favor, 1 against, and 1 abstention.

DUN Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar announced that the suspension would take immediate effect and continue until the sitting concluded on October 21. Chong was not present during the tabling of the motion as he was in Parliament. Lee Kim Shin, the Transport Minister and Senadin assemblyman, stated that Chong had persistently used and repeated information and allegations that he had not verified or could not justify when questioned by the Speaker for supporting evidence or justification.

Lee emphasized that while members have the right to express their opinions and scrutinize the government, they must also respect the rules of the House, uphold the authority of the Chair, and exercise caution when making statements and allegations. The motion against Chong is based on his comments on page 15 of the unedited Hansard, where he questioned the accuracy of a basic pagination of the document, implying a serious error and questioning the trustworthiness of more detailed figures in the budget.

Additionally, Chong's conduct during the Budget debate on October 14, as documented in the Hansard pages 35 to 44, violated the Standing Orders. This includes his use of offensive and insulting language towards other members on page 40, imputing improper motives without substantiation, and making unsubstantiated allegations. Standing Orders 32(4), 32(6), 32(10)(d), 32(12), 40(10) were cited by Speaker Asfia, which cover various aspects of improper conduct, including imputations of improper motives, use of unverified information, and statements that deliberately mislead the House.