KUALA LUMPUR: A defiant Tanjung Karang MP Noh Omar entered the Dewan Rakyat this morning, about two hours after he had been suspended, resulting in chaos.
Deputy speaker Nga Kor Ming had suspended him from the lower house for three days earlier this morning for insulting the institution of the speaker but when Noh entered again, another deputy speaker, Abdul Rashid Hasnon, was presiding.
He entered the house when Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (PAS-Sik) was debating the royal address.
Rashid reminded Noh (BN-Tanjung Karang) of the suspension but Noh claimed ignorance over the situation asking how he could be punished when he was not in the Dewan Rakyat when Nga made the ruling.
“By right, the speaker should have ordered me out yesterday. But he only did it today. What kind of policy is this? This is such an embarrassing act. I cannot accept such an unfair punishment,” he told Rashid.
Chang Lih Kang (PH-Tanjung Malim) stood up to urge Noh not to be an embarrassment as a Singapore parliamentary delegation was present in the house.
Noh turned to where the delegation, led by its speaker Tan Chuan-Jin, was seated and asked whether the Singapore Parliament suspended its MPs when they were not present.
“It is good that the Singaporean delegation is here now. They can see for themselves the new Malaysia. The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government makes its decision without applying the rule of law,” he said.
Ahmad Maslan (BN-Pontian) stood up to remind the house that Lim Kit Siang (PH-Iskandar Puteri) was ordered out in March last year but that he had stayed on until the very end.
“I would like to recommend that Tanjung Karang not leave as well,” he said.
Rashid subsequently asked the “bentara” (sergeant-at-arms) to carry out his duties and escort Noh out of the lower house, stressing the need to follow the rules.
Noh put up some resistance, as his colleagues continued their protests.
The lower house then saw a heated exchange between MPs, with Rashid interjecting that he had already made his decision for Noh to leave the Dewan Rakyat.
However, the shouting match continued, which then led to Rashid calling for order in the house and proclaiming: “I am hereby allowing Tanjung Karang to remain in the house until we break for lunch.”
Three minutes later the house broke for lunch but not before protests were made by Chang and Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) over Rashid’s decision allowing Noh to remain till lunch break.
“A decision has already been made!” Khoo said, referring to the three-day suspension. He repeated this several times. Chang cried: “Tanjung Karang must leave the house!”
Meanwhile, Annuar Musa (BN-Ketereh), holding the book containing the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders, tried to speak but was unable to get a word in as the shouting match drowned him out.
Even after the Dewan Rakyat broke for lunch, MPs could be seen and heard shouting at each other as they left. - FMT
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