Pendang MP Awang Hashim was suspended for 10 days for challenging other MPs to a physical fight outside Parliament last week.

Speaker Johari Abdul said he witnessed the incident after a heated exchange between MPs and was “very disappointed”.

“I want to take action against Pendang. I was presiding (when the incident happened).

“I saw what happened. I am very disappointed. The gallery was open, there were children from school,” he said, adding that such behaviour does not look good for the nation.

Johari also cautioned against the use of terms like “kafir” or labelling PAS as “ajaran sesat”, urging lawmakers to respect sensitivities.

Last week, Abdul Hadi Awang (PN-Marang) implied in his debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan that Kuala Lumpur’s problems were due to DAP and the unity government.

This led to a fiery exchange between MPs from both sides and a walkout by opposition MPs.

Several videos that later went viral showed Awang making gestures, apparently challenging others to a fight outside the Dewan Rakyat.

Johari subsequently instructed Parliament’s audio and video units to hand over all recordings of the incident after Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) sought a ruling on safety in the chamber.