DAP-Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen has been suspended from the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) for the remainder of its current sitting after being accused of misleading the House and making unsubstantiated allegations during debates on the 2027 Sarawak Budget.
The motion, proposed by Transport Minister and Senadin assemblyman Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, was passed with 62 votes in favour, one against and one abstention.
DUN Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar announced that the suspension took effect immediately and would remain in force until the sitting concludes on October 21. Chong was absent when the motion was tabled as he was attending Parliament.
Lee said Chong had repeatedly used information and made allegations that he had not verified or could not substantiate when asked by the Speaker to provide supporting evidence.
He also accused the DAP Sarawak chairman of using offensive and insulting language against fellow assemblymen and attributing improper motives to them without providing evidence.
“Every member of this House has the right to speak, to question, to disagree and to scrutinise 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 Orders, respect the authority of the Chair, and exercise care in making statements and allegations in this House,” Lee said.
The motion cited remarks Chong made during the budget debate on October 13, when he questioned the reliability of the budget document after pointing out what he described as a pagination error. His comments were alleged to have deliberately misled the House.
It also referred to his conduct during the October 14 debate, including his remarks to the Speaker and his description of Kota Sentosa as “hallucinating”. Lee said these statements, alongside allegations Chong could not substantiate, breached the assembly’s rules.
Before the vote, Asfia said Chong’s speeches on October 13 and 14, as recorded in the Hansard, had flagrantly violated the Standing Orders.
He cited Standing Orders 32(4), 32(6), 32(10)(d) and 32(12), which cover disorderly language, allegations of improper motives, the use of unverified information and deliberately misleading the House.
Asfia stressed that assemblymen must be prepared to substantiate allegations against other members. He also said information from newspapers, online publications, social media and other platforms must not be used if its accuracy cannot be verified.
Under Standing Order 32(12), a member who deliberately misleads the House is considered out of order or in contempt. Asfia also cited Standing Order 40(10), which preserves the assembly’s power to take action against members through a resolution.
During the October 14 budget debate, Chong had questioned the state government’s RM300 million lease of a pre-owned jet, alleging that proper procurement procedures may not have been followed and raising the possibility of a conflict of interest.
