KUALA LUMPUR: Another opposition Member of Parliament (MP) has been ejected from the Lower House today after linking a cabinet member to Islamophobia, leading to war of words between the government and opposition MPs in the Dewan Rakyat, today.
The decision was made by Deputy Speaker Alice Lau against Datuk Ahmad Marzuk Shaary (PN-Pengkalan Chepa) who refused to retract his statement.
This comes after Ahmad Marzuk intervened Minister in Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar's debate session on the 2024 Supply Bill at the committee level and claimed that Islamophobia in the country increased due to the misunderstanding of Islam not only among members of the public but also among ministers.
He also referred to a posting by Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming on the latter's X account, where the minister posted a picture of two students wearing a mafla (scarf) while holding replicas of firearms with the caption saying that schools are not the place for conflict, extremism and terrorism.
"Have you (Mohd Na'im) made an effort to make cabinet ministers understand why there is a prohibition on Qunut Nazilah?" he said.
However, Ahmad Marzuk was then interjected by Howard Lee Chuan How (PH-Ipoh Timur) who raised Standing Order 36 which stipulated that there was an ill intention. He also requested the PN lawmaker to withdraw the claims made.
"Clearly, Pengkalan Chepa (Ahmad Marzuk) made a malicious statement earlier and I do not agree with what he claimed. He is spreading slander and what was said was twisted," he said while also questioning whether Ahmad Marzuk understood Nga's intention through the post.
Following this, war of words could be heard between the government and opposition MPs for several minutes.
Meanwhile, Lau then instructed the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove Ahmad Marzuk from the house as the latter refused to do so.
