Wan Fayhsal was suspended in July after referencing a poison-pen letter naming the alleged mastermind of the Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) privatisation deal.
When contacted, Wan Fayshal told FMT that a sergeant-at-arms prevented him from entering the Dewan Rakyat’s gallery during the first day of the current session last Monday after citing a letter from Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul.
Takiyuddin, a former law minister, today argued that while Wan Fayhsal has been banned from taking part in parliamentary sessions, the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders do not prevent him from being an observer in the gallery – which he said proved his “committment to his constituents”.
Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran), who was a deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker from 2008 to 2018, noted that even former opposition leader Lim Kit Siang was allowed to observe proceedings from the gallery despite being suspended from the Dewan Rakyat.
While he acknowledged the two MPs’ experience in law and parliamentary proceedings, deputy speaker Ramli Nor said he could not rule on this matter as he said it falls under the purview of the Speaker.
However, Kiandee said that as the present chair of the session, Ramli could make a ruling without having to refer to the Speaker.
The motion to suspend Wan Fayhsal was tabled by law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said.
He was suspended after a bloc vote in which 110 MPs voted in favour of the motion and 63 voted against it.
Wan Fayhsal had named an EPF employee as being allegedly involved in the MAHB takeover and cited the negative treatment of the employee’s subordinates.
Insufficient speaking time
Meanwhile, Takiyuddin requested equal speaking time for the opposition leader in the ongoing budget debate, arguing that the current allocation of 90 minutes was insufficient.
He noted that during Perikatan Nasional’s time in power, the opposition leader was given more than two hours to speak.
In response, Ramli stated that the 90-minute limit for the opposition leader had been a consistent practice in recent sessions and would remain unchanged.
Later, Takiyuddin expressed concern about parts of the finance minister’s budget speech that were omitted, specifically mentioning a section regarding a proposed law on home detention as an alternative punishment.
He inquired whether these omitted parts would still be included in the official parliamentary record, the Hansard, and if MPs would be able to debate them.
Ramli clarified that any sections not spoken during the finance minister’s speech would still be included in the Hansard and would be open to debate.