Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker sends out three MPs for disrupting today's sitting

KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 3 — Three MPs have been sent out by Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Alice Lau today.

PAS MP for Pendang Datuk Awang Hashim was sent out after he refused to withdraw his statement, which referred to Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad as a liar with regards to missing Malay reserve land in Kedah.

“If the statement needed clarification, you should ask for one, not accuse the minister for telling lies. Please withdraw the word.

“If you don’t want to withdraw the word, please leave the Dewan Rakyat,” Lau told the Pendang MP.

Prior to Lau sending the Pendang MP out, DAP’s Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng made the first call for the latter to withdraw his statement for accusing Nik Nazmi of telling lies.

There were also calls from several MPs from the Opposition bloc for Lau to check the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka on the usage of the word ‘bohong’, in Malay as telling lies.

“Why not you check the Standing Order before you ask me to check the dictionary,” Lau replied to the few MPs.

Following the Pendang MP leaving the Dewan Rakyat, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim stood up to raise a Standing Order, which led to a heated argument.

Shahidan in the midst of the argument called the Bagan MP a ‘robber’ (penyamun). He was told by Lau to withdraw that statement.

The Shahidan however argued that he did not switch on his microphone and said there was no proof of him uttering the word penyamun.

By then, DAP Jelutong MP RSN Rayer stood up and joined the argument, asking Shahidan to withdraw what he said, calling the latter rude (biadap).

Lau, seeing that the situation was getting out to control sent both Shahidan and Rayer for a recess for disrupting Dewan Rakyat proceeding.

Last Wednesday, the minister said there was no need for the government to table a White Paper on Malay reserve land as this was not shrinking and instead grew 0.63 per cent from 2021 to 2022.

In his reply in Parliament, he said overall, every state in the Peninsula recorded an increase in the size of gazetted Malay reserve land, except for Kedah, Kuala Lumpur and Perak.