At the moment, the Speaker, Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia, is a lawyer and he is assisted by many legal brains the Legislature. Therefore, there is no need that the Deputy Speaker should be a lawyer too when the Speaker is a lawyer.

This deprives opportunities of other elected members, especially, in the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), to the August House to sit on the chair. The law does not say that Speakers for the DUN must be lawyers. To claim that only lawyers are more suitable to be Speakers is an insult to the elected representatives of the people.

This is because they are equally eligible to sit as Speakers and Deputy Speakers and should not be sidelined to sit on the Chair.

This shows as treating lawyers a class above others in this society. Such a policy will set a dangerous trend in our democracy if we treat lawyers are a class above others when come to select the suitability and competency of persons to hold key posts in the government and in the Cabinet.

In the past there were many Speakers who were not lawyers. These include Datuk Song Swee Guan, Datuk Jacob Ridu and Datuk Celestine Ujang to name a few. They all performed well with impartiality to the liking of the public.

VOON LEE SHAN
President
Parti Bumi Kenyalang