PETITION

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam (Anson): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have the privilege to present a petition to this House. The petition asks the House to declare its privileges and, particularly, the question whether any proceeding before the House or a Committee can be questioned outside the House.

The petition is from one Mr Sivadas s/o Sankaran who resides at No. 7, Lorong 7, Toa Payoh #02-245. The petition, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, relates to an action brought by nine persons against Mr Sivadas s/o Sankaran in respect of a memorandum that Mr Sivadas submitted to a Committee of this House. That Committee was the Select Committee appointed to consider the Companies (Amendment) Bill. Arising out of his representation to that Committee, he was subsequently sued in the High Court in respect of his representation made to the Select Committee. Mr Sivadas now asks this House to declare its privileges in respect of proceedings in the House and, particularly, whether his proceeding, and submission of a memorandum is a proceeding in the House, can be questioned elsewhere outside this House. Those, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, are briefly the material allegations in the petition.

I will now, as required by Standing Order 17, read the prayer of the petition. It is signed by Mr Sivadas, and perhaps I should have said that the Clerk has certified that it is in accordance with paragraph (5) of Standing Order 17 which deals with petitions. The prayer of the petition is this, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir:

'By this petition I humbly pray that:

(1) The legal proceedings commenced against me in Suit No. 5888 of 1984 in the form of a defamation action arising from my taking part in a Parliamentary proceeding be declared a breach of the privileges of Parliament.

(2) Times Publishing Berhad and the Straits Times Press (1975) Limited, and their Board of Directors and their Solicitors Godwin and Co. be punished under SeCtion 20 of the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act Cap. 49.'

The directors of the companies mentioned are Mr Sellappan Ramanathan of 122 Ceylon Road, Mr Tan Chye Cheng of 7C Balmoral Road, Mr Lyndley John Holloway of 42 Nassim Road, Mr Michael Y. 0. Fam of 36 Fifth Avenue, Mr Tang I-Fang of 20 Jalan Merbok, Mr Benoy Kumar Sen of 23 Cluny Hill and, finally, Mr Peter Lim Heng Loong of 81 Tiong Poh Road #03-53.

May I now hand the petition to the Clerk.

To lie upon the Table.