Lim Guan Eng (PH–Bagan) claimed one of the ministries concerned had misled the Dewan Rakyat.
“On Sept 30, the transport minister (MoT) said Apricot’s 12,000km-long subsea cable project was unrelated to the cabotage policy where the ministry refused to give exemption to foreign ships to do maintenance.
“On Oct 5, the communications and multimedia minister (KKMM) gave a written answer to Bukit Mertajam (MP Steven Sim) that the unresolved cabotage policy was one of the reasons why Apricot bypassed Malaysia.
“Here we have two answers that are different, from KKMM and MoT. Which is the correct answer? This means one of the ministries has misled the Dewan. This is against (Dewan Rakyat) point of order 36(12)”, said Lim.
The Apricot cable project connects Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore via a 12,000km-long subsea cable.
It is expected to be launched in 2024 to meet the growing demand for 4G, 5G, and broadband access in the region. Facebook and Google have since announced their participation in the project.
Several politicians had earlier claimed the Apricot project bypassed Malaysia because of the present government’s cabotage policy.
Lim asked the Speaker to investigate which version of the answer was accurate, adding that he was inclined to believe the communications ministry.
Speaker Azhar Harun replied he could not be expected to carry out such an investigation.
He added that according to his research of Commonwealth nations, there were no rules that allowed the Speaker of the House to determine the quality of the answers given by the ministers.
However, he said he would go beyond his duty and ask the ministries to clarify the matter, telling Lim to write a letter seeking clarification.
Khalid Samad (PH-Shah Alam) interjected to say it was the Speaker’s responsibility to request ministers to provide accurate answers.
“The Speaker has to ensure that the answers given are satisfactory. This is Parliament; questions are asked so that we can get the answers for public knowledge. You are hiding behind all these rules and regulations,” said Khalid.
Khalid’s remarks began a brief war of words between him and Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (PAS-Sik).