KUCHING: The new Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun must be able to manage Parliament properly and impartially, said Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said the new Speaker must be firm although he understands that it would not be easy for him to handle his decorum in the august House.
“He must be firm and never let any honourable member lose his decorum and turn the august House into a ‘fish market’.
“The world is watching the proceedings of Malaysian Parliament and we want to see our highest law making body given the highest respect by the honourable members,” he said when contacted by New Sarawak Tribune to comment on the appointment of the former Election Commission chairman Datul Azhar Azizan Harun as the new Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat today (July 13).
Asked whether he viewed the appointment as controversial, Abdul Karim who is also the State Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister, said he did not see any controversy as the appointment was made according with the parliament’s standing orders and voting procedure.
“It was done where majority of the MPs voted out the previous Speaker. So where is the controversy?” he added.
Today, Tan Sri Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof was removed as the Speaker when Perikatan Nasional (PN) managed to unseat him by a vote of 111 to 109, with minister Maximus Ongkili absent while Deputy Speaker Datuk Rashid Hasnon did not cast a ballot as he was presiding over the vote.
Following the decision to remove Mohamad Ariff, Nga Kor Ming announced his resignation as deputy.
It was learned that Azhar, who was nominated by the government, took his oath and was appointed amid protests from the Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led opposition that lawmakers had not voted on his appointment.
