Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Ramli Nor had ordered Che Zulkifly Jusoh (PN-Besut) to take his seat three times, but the opposition MP failed to do so.

Earlier, Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu) questioned why the government had prepared two bills that were titled in English, with  Zulkifly also joining in.

After allowing the MPs to speak, Ramli instructed everyone to sit so he could deliver his ruling on the matter. However, Zulkifly refused to obey.

“I have made my decision. I gave you three warnings,” Ramli said.

He then ordered the Dewan Rakyat’s sergeants-at-arms to escort Zulkifly out of the House, to which Sany Hamzan (PH-Hulu Langat) then retorted, “Happy holidays”.

After Zulkifly’s expulsion, Ramli called on deputy law and institutional reform minister Ramkarpal Singh, who brought the bills for tabling, to provide an explanation.

Ramkarpal said as the bills concerned amendments to the Penal Code, which was in English, his ministry had prepared them in the same language.

He said this was also to respect the Penal Code as it was the “authoritative text” in the country.

Ramkarpal also noted that his predecessor, Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah), had previously tabled bills with drafts prepared in English.

Ramli then said this issue was an “anomaly” and urged opposition MPs to submit a written motion to the Speaker before a decision could be made on how best to move forward.

He said the government bloc should also discuss the issue internally.

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