Wee: Statements on issue in Parliament timely

KUALA LUMPUR: It is an apt and timely move to brief Parliament on the recent riots at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

“The statement by Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is very timely, as Parliament is the most appropriate venue for the government to give its official view on the matter.

“And this was followed by a strong statement by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“This is how it should be done as it sends a clear and strong signal that the incident was not racial but a dispute over land ownership,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday.

Earlier, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Mohammad Arrif Md Yusoff announced that he had rejected the two separate emergency motions submitted by Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional lawmakers to debate the issue.

He was responding to a query by Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (BN-Beluran) over the fate of a similar motion submitted by Fahmi Fadzil (PH-Lembah Pantai).

Instead, Muhyiddin and Dr Mahathir were given time to present the issue to lawmakers under ministerial explanations under Standing Order 14.

Confirming that his motion was rejected in chambers, Fahmi said that Malaysians had already received their answers from the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.