Chaos marks end to first day of Parliament sitting, merely an hour after new Speaker Art Harun took charge
KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — The Dewan Rakyat sitting today has been adjourned amid continuous ruckus throughout ongoing debate session.
The motion to adjourn today’s sitting was made by Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan after he proposed to replace several Parliament Select Committee members which had also sparked an uproar.
“Shame on you, shame on you! Bad performance on your first day,” were words shouted by the Opposition bloc MPs in reference to newly appointed Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun, as they made their way out of the House.
Although Azhar had just opened the floor for debate, he adjourned the sitting anyway, despite Batu Kawan MP Kasthuriraani Patto demanding to speak as it was her turn to debate.
“Point of order, point of order!” she shouted as she was demanding to be heard.
Kasthuriraani before that was also unhappy and the whole Opposition bloc demanded for Umno’s Baling MP Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim to retract his statement for making a racist statement against the former for her skin colour.
Azeez, himself of Indian Muslim descent said some could6’nt see her because “gelap sangat” (very dark) and went on to suggest before that for Kasthuriraani to wear powder.
The remark caused Jelutong MP RSN Rayer to stand up and demand that Azeez retract the remark, which then burst into a shouting match.
Today’s Parliament sitting, the first full sitting of the year, lasted shorter than usual with discontent expressed by the Opposition bloc as Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof was removed as Dewan Rakyat Speaker and Teluk Intan MP Nga Kor Ming as the Deputy Speaker.
The Opposition bloc maintained that the replacements were done unreasonably and not done in accordance to the Standing Order.
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