Fifteen Perikatan Nasional lawmakers staged a walkout from the Dewan Rakyat today after their fellow colleagues, Pengkalan Chepa MP Ahmad Marzuk Shaary and Parit Buntar MP Mohd Misbahul Munir Masduki, were ejected earlier.
At a press conference in Parliament, Arau MP Shahidan Kassim said they walked out in solidarity and would return immediately to the house for the rest of today’s session.
Marzuk was booted after questioning what the government did regarding ministers who misunderstood religion and Misbahul after engaging in a war of words over Palestine week in schools.
Shahidan (above) said the PN lawmakers were merely backing the prime minister’s stance of supporting Palestine, unlike some in the government whose commitment was allegedly uncertain.
“We are the loyal supporters of PMX (10th prime minister
Anwar). PMX said to support Palestine and be anti-Israel. Yet they (government lawmakers) do all kinds of things.
“What we see is the struggle of the prime minister, yet they (government lawmakers) are divided.
“The prime minister should check his faction... Whether they support or don’t support (Palestine), we don’t know,” Shahidan said.
Shahidan singled out Umno politicians whom he claimed should be the “champions” in supporting Palestine but are now quietly supporting the government.
At the same press conference, Marzuk said he questioned Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Mohd Na’im Mokhtar’s role in addressing misconceptions about Islam.
“I stood up to ask the religious affairs minister what was his role in handling the issue of Islamophobia and misconceptions of the religion.
“Not just by laypeople but also among ministers who misunderstand religion,” said Marzuk, who was ejected by deputy speaker Alice Lau.
He cited images on a social media account of Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming on Oct 28 which allegedly cast Islam in a bad light and purportedly caused a “misunderstanding” of the Palestinian struggle.
The images depicted school children holding toy guns and dressed to resemble Palestinians, with the caption that school was not a place for “conflict, extremist views, and violence”.
Meanwhile, Misbahul’s ejection from the lower house by speaker Johari Abdul earlier this evening was after he shared a war of words with Hulu Langat MP Sany Hamzan, who was also ejected.
Misbahul questioned why schools were not allowed to takbir (Allahu Akbar) or perform the Qunut Nazilah (special prayer to seek Allah’s assistance for Muslims in extreme hardship) during the Education Ministry’s Palestine week in schools. - Mkini
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