It is a rather common sight to see arguments and name calling happening when Malaysian politicians gather during parliament or other assemblies, and the Malacca state assembly this morning (11 May) was no different.
The assembly held at Seri Negeri Complex in Ayer keroh ended prematurely after barely half an hour from when it commenced at 9.30am, when State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Wira Omar Jaafar wanted to start the day with a prayer recitation.
However, Sungai Udang assemblyperson Idris Haron from Umno, stood up and told Omar that he was not fit to be sitting in the speaker’s seat as he does not command the majority support of the state assembly, reported Kini TV.
An argument then ensued between Idris, Speaker Omar and several Pakatan Harapan representatives present at the meeting. From the videos provided by Muhammad Syafiq Azmi and Wong Fort Pin, yelling and name calling were thrown around by the arguers, some of whom did not have their masks on properly.
Here are the videos:
It is also reported that only government-owned media were allowed to cover the sitting, while other media organisations were barred from entering the space provided for the media to watch the assembly.
On 9 May, Speaker Omar said he was prepared to face any attempts to unceremoniously remove him from his position during the assembly scheduled for 11 May. He said he was expecting it even though he had rejected the motion by new Chief Minister Sulaiman Md Ali (Lendu-Umno).
“I will stand my ground. Any attempt to oust me should be done according to the rules of procedure and standing orders of the august house,” he said, adding that he was elected to the post in mid-2018 by a democratically-elected state government, reported The Star.
Today (11 May) during the assembly, Idris then accused Omar of rejecting the motion after which the argument ensued.
Following the incident, Perikatan Nasional (PN) representatives voted in state Umno chief Datuk Seri Ab Rasuf Yusoh on their own as the new Speaker in replacement of Omar, who is aligned to Pakatan Harapan, according to Malay Mail.
He was elected after receiving the support of 16 of the 17 PN state assemblymen, while all Opposition representatives were absent.
Also read: A Whopping 79 MPs Were Granted High-Paying Positions by the Government
