A REPORTED four-kilometre queue of container haulage lorries outside Sepanggar Bay Container Port (SBCP), highlighted by the Daily Express in May, became the subject of debate in the State Legislative Assembly on Monday, prompting an exchange over the use of newspaper reports as references during proceedings.
Chin Teck Ming (Warisan-Kapayan) said assemblymen should not be criticised for raising the issue as it was based on a report published by the Daily Express, not on claims made by the Opposition.
“And regarding the four-kilometre queue at the port, do not blame us here because that news was not our creation, but was reported in the Daily Express,” he said during question time.
Responding, Deputy Chief Minister III and Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick urged assemblymen to verify information before relying on media reports in the House.
“On the issue of the queue, assemblymen should first verify it and not simply support it because it reflects our credibility as assemblymen,” he said.
“If whatever is reported in the media is immediately taken as material, it reflects our credibility,” he added.
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Chin disagreed, saying the Daily Express is a well-established newspaper and that he had relied on its report as a reference.
“I beg to differ because the Daily Express is a very established newspaper, so we took it as a reference,” he said.
State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim M. Yahya subsequently reminded members that, regardless of the publication, newspaper reports are not recognised as reference material under the Assembly’s Standing Orders.
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