Padungan rep suspended from Sarawak Assembly sitting over Budget document remarks, alleged unsubstantiated claims

Asfia (top left) responds to Yong (bottom right) during debate on the motion to suspend Chong on Oct 15, 2026. Screenshot taken from Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS) livestream on Youtube.

By Shikin Louis

KUCHING, Oct 15: Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen has been suspended from the service of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) for the remainder of the current session after a motion citing an allegedly misleading statement about the Sarawak Budget 2027 document and his conduct during the Budget debate was passed today.

The motion was moved by Transport Minister and Senadin assemblyman Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin and seconded by Minister in the Premier’s Department and Kakus assemblyman Dato Sri John Sikie Tayai.

A total of 62 assemblymen voted in favour of the motion, while one voted against it and another abstained.

Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar subsequently declared Chong suspended from the service of the Dewan with immediate effect.

“I hereby declare that the Honourable Member for Padungan is suspended from the services of this Dewan with effect from today, Oct 15, 2026, until the end of the session,” he said.

The motion cited Chong’s alleged deliberate misleading of the Dewan on Oct 13, as well as his conduct during the Budget debate on Oct 14, including the repeated use of information and allegations that he could not substantiate when called upon by the Chair.

It also accused him of using offensive and insulting language against fellow assemblymen, imputing improper motives to other members and making allegations he was not prepared to substantiate.

The motion cited Standing Orders 32(4), 32(6), 32(10)(b) and 32(12) as the provisions allegedly breached.

In tabling the motion, Lee referred to Chong’s remarks on Oct 13 questioning the reliability of the Budget document after highlighting a pagination issue.

Lee quoted Chong as saying: “And more importantly, if such basic pagination of the document, that can be such a serious error, what confidence do we have in the more detailed figures in the Budget document?”

The remark, recorded on page 15 of the unedited Hansard of Oct 13, was cited in the motion as an allegedly deliberate attempt to mislead the Dewan.

Lee then referred to the Speaker’s response, recorded in the unedited Hansard of Oct 14, in which Asfia described Chong’s remark as “uncalled for and mischievous”.

“Under Standing Order 32(12), any member makes any statement in the Dewan that deliberately misleads the Dewan is deemed to be out of order or to be in contempt,” Asfia was quoted as saying.

Lee said the motion also concerned Chong’s conduct during the Budget debate on Oct 14, including his remarks to the Speaker: “So, Tuan Speaker, you have wasted a lot of my time… I know you are in control, but please be fair to me…”

Another remark cited in the motion was Chong’s statement about Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap: “Kota Sentosa is hallucinating, he thought, you know, something criminal is being committed…”

Lee said the Standing Orders provided a framework for vigorous debate while preserving the dignity and orderly proceedings of the Dewan.

“All members of this house has the right to speak, to question, to disagree, and to scrutinize the government. These are essential features of parliamentary democracy and they must be respected. Those rights, however, carry responsibilities.

“Every member must observe the Standing Order, respect the authority of the chair, and exercise care in making statements and allegations in this house,” he added.

A total of 10 assemblymen debated the motion, representing Tupong, Lingga, Daro, Machan, Baleh, Batu Kitang, Batu Lintang, Meluan, Kota Sentosa and Pending.

During the debate, Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How sought clarification, noting that Chong was not present in the Dewan to respond to the allegations against him.

“Probably we should rightly defer the arguments of the debate to another date, give notice to Padungan to be present in the House, then we can give him the right to be heard before we make any decision of the chair on the matter,” he said.

Asfia responded that the DUS sitting dates had already been fixed and that the House had not received prior written notification of Chong’s absence.

Opposing the motion, Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong Wui Wui said she and Chong had personally met Asfia on Oct 14 to inform him that Chong would be absent from the sitting due to a parliamentary matter.

Responding to Yong, Asfia said he had agreed to Chong’s request to be excused from the sitting, but stressed that the request had to be submitted in writing through the Secretary.

“You and Member of Padungan came to see me asking to be exempted, which I said yes, but the procedure is it must be in writing through the Secretary,” he said.

Asfia also referred to a Facebook post by Chong published the previous night concerning the Hansard, saying it had given him the impression that Chong was in Sarawak and criticising the Speaker over the record of proceedings.

“I am trying to be fair,” he said. — DayakDaily