OPPOSITION MPS STAGE WALKOUT
They say deputy speaker’s move to suspend Umno MP for 3 days unfair
BARISAN Nasional and Pas members of parliament staged a walkout yesterday. The opposition bench took the step to protest the move by the lower house to suspend Tan Sri Noh Omar (BN-Tanjung Karang) for three days.
Deputy Speaker Nga Kor Ming said the suspension order was issued under Standing Orders 43 and 44.
The move to suspend Noh was made after the backbencher on Monday accused Nga of being unqualified to hold the position over alleged comments on the Pas-Umno political cooperation.
Noh was said to have made unwarranted accusations against the institution of the speaker while seeking clarificadebate tion during the by Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (Pas-Pasir Mas) on the king’s speech.
“The Tanjung Karang MP has accused the person chairing the meeting of not being qualified to be appointed speaker despite the fact that I had given an explanation and that he was required to refer to the Hansard.
“Therefore, by the powers vested in me, in line with Standing Orders 43 and 44, I hereby order Tanjung Karang to leave the Dewan (Rakyat) for three days beginning today (yesterday) until Thursday (tomorrow). “I advise the Tanjung Karang MP to learn his lesson and not repeat his behaviour of insulting the Dewan (Rakyat).
“I hope the rest will act accordingly while you are here,” Nga said when reading the speaker’s speech before the start of the minister’s question time yesterday. Opposition leader Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (BN-Bera) said the opposition would not attend any proceedings chaired by Nga as they considered the move to suspend Noh unfair. “What the deputy speaker had done amounts to an abuse of power, as the issue raised by Tanjung Karang MP happened outside of Parliament,” Ismail said.
He claimed that Nga’s response was that of a DAP leader and not deputy speaker.