Warisan MP suspended two days from Dewan Rakyat over commotion on Sulu claim

KUALA LUMPUR: An opposition Member of Parliament (MP) from Sabah Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) was suspended from attending the Dewan Rakyat sitting after she ignored the Speaker's instruction and insisted to have the motion on the claims by Sulu Sultan's heirs on Sabah to be debated.

The motion, which was rejected for the third time at the Dewan Rakyat, became a hot topic of discussion to the extent of causing a war of words between several opposition MPs from Sabah and Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun and his deputy Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon.

The commotion began when Isnaraissah stood up right after the motion to postpone the election of Deputy Speaker was approved by the Dewan Rakyat.

"Mr Speaker, you have rejected my motion on Sulu Sultan three times. I just don't understand. I want to ask the federal government, to what extent that we have to wait until the motion can be debated? This is a matter of national sovereignty, it is not a trivial matter.

"I call on all Sabah MPs and other MPs to rise and insist for the motion to be debated," she said.

Ram Karpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor) then stood up, saying that his motion on the seizure of Petronas assets in Azerbaijan by Sulu Sultan heirs was also rejected by Azhar, while Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub (PH-Pulai) questioned Azhar's decision in rejecting the motion on grounds of sub judice.

Azhar then explained the reasons the motions brought forth by Isnaraissah and Ram Karpal were rejected and said that the emergency motion on the seizure of Petronas assets in Azerbaijan had been approved for debate in one of Dewan Rakyat's previous sitting and had also been explained by Minister of Economic Affairs.

"Everybody knows what happened to Petronas assets in Azerbaijan, about sub judice, I have received legal views and there are one of two ongoing proceedings on that. The Standing Order is clear and I will stick to it," he said.

The heated argument on the matter continued to persist when Mohd Rashid took over from Azhar to preside over the sitting as Isnaraissah kept pressing for the issue to be debated even when the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan was about the tabled the National Forestry (Amendment) Bill 2022 for second reading.

This prompted Mohd Rashid to order the sergeant-at-arms to escort the MP out of the august hall and hand down a two-day suspension on her.

-- BERNAMA