Order In The House Pn Mp Criticises Deputy Speaker Over Parliament Rules

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PARLIAMENT | An opposition lawmaker called out deputy speaker Ramli Nor, who presided over Question Time this morning, for a supposed failure to enforce the house’s rules of order.
Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh (PN-Besut) said Ramli should have acted on his own initiative when an MP allegedly made remarks that could breach Standing Orders, instead of relying on objections from others.
He cited Standing Order 43, which outlined the speaker’s role that they “shall be responsible for the observance of the rules of order in the house and committee, respectively”.
“It means that if the speaker sees a violation of Standing Orders 36(1) to 36(12), then that is within the speaker’s powers (to take action).
ADS“There’s no need to wait for anyone to raise it. So the issue of locus standi does not arise,” said Che Mohamad (above), who is also a former judge.
The dispute arose after Sany Hamzan (Harapan-Hulu Langat) repeated claims that two Perikatan Nasional lawmakers had “slandered” government officers over a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) training exercise.
Deputy speaker Ramli NorAhmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) then stood up to request a ruling on whether such remarks that allegedly impute bad intentions were permissible. Ramli decided they were within acceptable bounds.
“For me, what was said by Hulu Langat earlier did not exceed the (permitted) boundaries,” Ramli said.
In a further elaboration, he said Fadhli had no locus standi to request a ruling, noting that only the MPs directly referred to should object.
MPs urged to interject when necessary
The deputy speaker, in responding to Che Mohamad, said his decision regarding Fadhli, who requested a ruling on Sany’s targeting of Awang Hashim (PN-Pendang) and Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu), was because he followed the principle: “When A slanders B, C cannot interfere.”
“That’s the basis for me. So there must be locus standi. Hulu Langat mentioned Pendang, but Pendang is not here. So I made my decision accordingly,” he explained.
However, he conceded that a speaker presiding over a Dewan Rakyat session cannot be expected to memorise some 100 sections under the Standing Orders.
Therefore, he urged MPs to continue carrying out their responsibilities and interject when necessary.
- Mkini

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