Bugis association slams Selangor govt over rejection of motion

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government has been described as a "destroyer" of the Bugis ethnic group by Persatuan Anak-anak Bugis Malaysia after a motion at the State Legislative Assembly to debate Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's remarks, which allegedly insulted the community, was rejected by Speaker Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan on Tuesday.
The association's spokesman Raja Kamaruddin Raja Ab Wahid said they were shocked by the decision by Yeoh and deemed it to be tantamount to treason against Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah who had voiced his displeasure over the remarks.
He said Yeoh, who is also the assemblyman for Subang Jaya, by right should be aware that her post in the State Assembly was at the consent of Sultan Sharafuddin as stipulated in the state constitution.
"Rejecting the motion to debate the remarks can be seen as treason against the Sultan of Selangor. In fact, it if was allowed, we are certain that many assemblymen would have agreed that Dr Mahathir face appropriate action by the Selangor government.
"That is why Yeoh rejected the motion, for fear PAS assemblymen would have supported the sultan's call for action to be taken against Dr Mahathir for the remarks," he told reporters after some 10 representatives of the association staged a peaceful demonstration to protest the Speaker's decision at the entrance of the State Assembly building, here today.
Yesterday, Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen had submitted a memorandum to Sultan Sharafuddin to protest the decision by the State Assembly Speaker to disallow the debate (on the former prime minister's remarks about the Bugis community).
The motion was tabled by Kuang assemblyman, Datuk Abdul Shukor Idrus as an emergency motion but was rejected by Yeoh on the grounds that there was no urgency for it.
Dr Mahathir, who is now opposition leader, when giving a political talk in Petaling Jaya, had allegedly tried to link Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak's ancestry to Bugis pirates.
Following that, Sultan Sharafuddin expressed his displeasure over the remarks which were seen as an attempt to instigate the people to hate, insult and view the Bugis community in a bad light.
The Sultanate of Selangor also has Bugis ancestry. — Bernama