Batu Gajah MP V Sivakumar wants Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to justify his government's nomination of Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan as the new Dewan Rakyat speaker.
Sivakumar (above) labelled Ahmad, who is presently standing trial for money laundering and providing a false statement to the MACC, as being part of the "court cluster".
The "court cluster" refers to a group of Umno MPs who were slapped with graft charges after the collapse of the BN government, in part due to the 1MDB scandal.
"It is shocking to note that Ismail Sabri has reportedly nominated an accused who has been charged in court with corrupt practice and breaching money laundering laws as a candidate for deputy speaker," Sivakumar said in a statement today.
The DAP lawmaker said Ismail Sabri, who is also the Umno vice-president, owes the country an apology.
"Ahmad's nomination not only does not augur well for our Parliament institution but it is also an open assault to the institution’s reputation," he added.
Sivakumar noted that Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin had vowed not to work with "kleptocrats" and questioned if that position has changed.
"It is also worthy to note that whether former prime minister Muhyiddin and his Bersatu party, who have vowed not to work with the kleptocrat, will instead breach their promise by voting for Ahmad when the motion comes up for voting on Sept 14," he said.
Sivakumar urged all MPs to reject "a candidate with a tainted record".
"Otherwise it will bring enormous shame to our Parliament including all members of the August House," he added.
Umno's Padang Rengas MP Nazri Abdul Aziz had confirmed Ahmad's nomination as the sole candidate from the government bench. - Mkini
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