PARLIAMENT | Opposition MP Awang Hashim (PN-Pendang) was ordered to leave the Dewan Rakyat this afternoon following a verbal fight among MPs over the usage of Chinese language on signages.
Deputy Dewan Rakyat speaker Alice Lau made the order after the PAS representative continued in a verbal clash with Chong Zhemin (Harapan-Kampar).
This happened after Chong claimed Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah) misled the august house when she accused Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing of playing up racial sentiments.
“Can I say that DAP does not recognise Bahasa Melayu?” Awang (above) asked.
This riled Chong up, and he accused Awang of misleading the Dewan Rakyat and demanded the opposition MP to retract his statement.
“Pendang, don’t make any bad accusations. I never said that we never recognise (Bahasa Melayu).
“Pendang, please retract (your statement). Don’t treat this as a joke,” Chong lamented.
The opposition lawmaker then responded by saying that what he said was against DAP and not against the Kampar MP personally.
Lau then interjected and ordered Awang to leave, saying that he should go for an early lunch break.
“Pendang, please leave for a short while. Do not disrupt the Dewan. Pendang can go out for (lunch) break,” she said.
Before Lau’s order, Chong highlighted that according to the Housing and Local Government Ministry guidelines, signage can include English, Chinese, and Tamil languages.
“But (the signages) need to have Malay language; we are not disputing that,” he clarified.
“I have a question: Is (hardware chain) Mr DIY (signage) written in Malay or English? What about Kentucky Fried Chicken - is it in Malay or English?
“In Kelantan, do the signs say Kentucky Fried Chicken or Ayam Goreng Kentucky?” he asked.
On Nov 22, Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun raised concerns about Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) enforcement of regulations requiring business owners to prominently display Malay-language signage in compliance with commercial signage guidelines.
Following the enforcement, Tiong shared that foreign tourists had questioned whether Malaysia was a racist or religiously extreme nation, reflecting their perception of the policy.
Tiong’s statement in turn sparked a response from Umno Youth Chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, who claimed that the businesses targeted in the raids were the ones being racist for feigning ignorance of the laws and sensitivities of the local population.
Last month, DBKL fined five restaurants in Bukit Bintang for failing to include Malay-language signboards or prominently display them. - FMT
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