Sixty-eight assemblymen voted for and seven against the motion which was tabled by Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

Abdul Karim said at a press conference later that the motion was intended neither as a personal vendetta against Ting nor as political persecution.

“This is about the powers and the obligation of the members of this august House to protect the sanctity of the House.

“He has the status of an Australian citizen and the government was not informed about this. We want a decision from the Federal Court,” he said.

On July 13, the Court of Appeal in a majority decision dismissed the appeal of the Sarawak legislative assembly against the High Court decision to reinstate Ting as a member of the House.

The appellate court in a majority decision dismissed the appeal brought by state assembly speaker Amar Asfia Awang Nasar and Second Finance Minister Wong Soon Koh against the High Court decision.

Judges Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Harmindar Singh Dhaliwal agreed to dismiss the appeal, saying the state assembly did not have the jurisdiction to disqualify Ting before his election.

Judge Mary Lim Thiam Suan dissented, saying Ting was not qualified to be elected as an assemblyman as he had taken on Australian citizenship.

Abang Iskandar, in reading out the judgment, said the Sarawak assembly was not the appropriate forum to decide on the membership of Ting under Article 118 of the Federal Constitution, and the speaker of the assembly had wrongly applied Article 17(1)(g) of the Sarawak state constitution.