KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 (Bernama) -- Machang member of parliament, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, has been suspended from Dewan Rakyat sessions for six months effective today, announced Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul.
The motion to suspend him from Dewan Rakyat proceedings and Parliamentary Special Select Committee meetings received 110 votes in favour and 63 votes against, while three MPs abstained, and 46 were absent.
The motion was brought by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, following Wan Ahmad Fayhsal’s referral of an anonymous letter in Parliament regarding the purported mastermind behind the takeover of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).
He made the reference on July 1 during the debate on the Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) for 2021 and 2022.
He also disclosed the name of the individual mentioned in the anonymous letter as an employee of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
While concluding the debate on the motion, Azalina stated that MPs must be responsible for their actions and refrain from casually referencing unverified documents such as anonymous letters.
"If we refer to valid documents, I believe the government will have no issues. A wrong is still a wrong. We shouldn't use anonymous letters because it will open the floodgates and everyone in the House will use anonymous letters. We now also have SMS, and AI, there’s no knowing what's true or false.
"Our responsibility is to make laws. If there's an allegation of bullying by an EPF officer, go to SUHAKAM, make a police report, and ask the Minister responsible for EPF," she said.
Azalina added that if the Dewan Rakyat did not make a decision, it would create a bad precedent for the government and opposition MPs.
Furthermore, she stated that MPs should not behave as if they are above the law, as they are elected by the people.
"If Machang apologises, or says 'I might be wrong, I received the letter, I don't believe it but I want to verify its accuracy,' that's not a problem. You qualify your statement. But…..the matter goes viral as if Parliament endorsed what Machang said," she said.
Meanwhile, Johari, expressed his dismay when government officials are disparaged, especially since he has also previously served as an administrative officer and diplomat.
"I am very emotional today. On YouTube, sometimes I know it's not outsiders; MPs also insult me. So what's my fault? You make the laws, I only interpret them, but I get insulted.
"But I don't feel like taking action. I could take action, but I don't want to because I feel we are all mature," he said.
-- BERNAMA
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