PN MPs absent en masse from Dewan Rakyat

PARLIAMENT | Many opposition MPs are outside the Palace of Justice’s vicinity today, leaving the opposition aisle at Dewan Rakyat empty.

Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul told present MPs that since many were absent, he would allow three supplementary questions.

Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (Barisan Nasional-Tampin), however, interjected by saying, "It’s not many are not present but not a single person from the opposition is present today.

Jimmy Puah (Pakatan Harapan-Tebrau) also began his question with a jibe that ministers were present, even if the opposition was not.

As such, the august house will skip questions posed by opposition MPs to ministers during question time - scheduled from 10am to 11am.

However, several Perikatan Nasional MPs started joining the session near the afternoon such as Ahmad Saad (Pokok Sena), Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar) and Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah (Langkawi)

The Dewan Rakyat typically arranges for five questions each from the backbenchers and opposition MPs during this period. Therein, the MPs who submitted the question will have an opportunity to ask supplementary questions.

The five opposition MPs originally slotted for this morning are Ali Biju (Saratok), Ahmad Amzad Mohamed (Kuala Terengganu), Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli (Dungun), Muhammad Ismi Mat Taib (Parit) and Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (Tanah Merah).

Earlier, Malaysiakini reported that more than 2,000 people attended the “Save Syariah Rally” and held prayers at the grounds of the Palace of Justice.

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The rally was organised by Perikatan Nasional to protest the actions of two individuals who took legal challenge over 20 provisions in the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment (I) 2019.

PN MPs have staged walkouts from the Dewan Rakyat a number of times this year but this unannounced absence from Dewan Rakyat's chambers is new.

Among the walkouts included one earlier this month when two MPs were ejected.

Another one happened in September, when Putrajaya MP Mohd Radzi Jidin was ejected following an exchange with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the other was in April - when a motion to debate withdrawals from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) was rejected.

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