Rayer sparks commotion, again
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP’s R.S.N Rayer, who sparked controversy in the Dewan Rakyat last week when he used the insult “kepala bapak” during the sitting, stirred trouble again on Monday when he repeated the phrase.
The Jelutong member of parliament from Pakatan Harapan used the phrase when his attempt to raise an additional question was interrupted by Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin (BNLarut).
Hamzah had criticised Rayer for trying to ask Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Dr Ong Kian Ming whether the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) issue had triggered outflow of foreign investments from Malaysia.
“Be patient, Larut. Otherwise, I would use ‘kepala bapak awak’ (your father’s head). Then susah nanti,” Rayer said.
Hamzah then held up the Parliament rule book and invoked Standing Order 36 (4), demanding that Rayer retract the insulting phrase.
Speaker Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof ordered Rayer to withdraw the remark, reminding the latter that he had previously been warned over the use of the phrase.
Just when Rayer was commenting on the retraction of the remark, chaos erupted in the Dewan Rakyat when Datuk Abdul Rahman Mohamad (BN-Lipis) uttered an expletive.
Ariff took issue with Abdul Rahman’s outburst.
“That one I heard. That is impolite. Please retract. Otherwise I would order (Abdul Rahman) to leave the hall. Do not use such words in this hallowed hall.”
Abdul Rahman tried to explain his use of the word by referring to Rayer’s tendency to use the phrase “kepala bapak kamu”.
The Speaker, however, maintained his ground.
“I order (Abdul Rahman) to retract the bad word as it is much worse than ‘kepala bapak (kamu)’.”
Abdul Rahman then withdrew the word for “us to teach him (Rayer)” a lesson.
But the situation grew tense again when Rayer remarked “Padan muka, Larut (serves Larut right)” to Hamzah.
Hamzah again demanded that Rayer withdraw the remark, pointing out that the latter was known for resorting to extreme words and phrases, unlike other PH lawmakers.
“The deputy minister had answered nicely and I asked (an additional question) nicely. Then, he (Rayer) brought in other issues (1MDB), leading to perception that he (Rayer) is not deserving of being a member of parliament,” Hamzah said.
Rayer retracted the remark.
In a previous parliamentary session, Deputy Speaker Nga Kor Ming had ordered Rayer to withdraw the “kepala bapak” remark following protests from opposition lawmakers.
In replying to Rayer’s additional question yesterday, Ong said foreign investors applying to bring foreign direct investment (FDI) into Malaysia did not express any unease with regards to the 1MDB scandal.
“However, I am confident that with this new government, transparency will be boosted and laws respected. This will have a good impact on FDI.
“When our ministers and deputy ministers go overseas, they do not need to worry about answering questions on 1MDB that were not answered by the previous government.
“This will allow Malaysia to promote itself as a more attractive FDI destination than before.”