KUALA LUMPUR: Tanjung Karang MP Tan Sri Noh Omar (pix) kicked up a ruckus when he was asked to leave the Dewan Rakyat today.
He refused to budge even as the sergeant-at-arms came for him. Tempers soon flared and this led to a verbal exchange across the aisle.
Speaker Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof finally saved the day by giving Noh a chance to state his case but then ruled that the MP remained suspended.
The drama began during the morning session chaired by deputy speaker Nga Kor Ming who decided that Noh should be suspended for his remarks made the previous day.
On Monday, Noh had argued that Nga was unfit to be deputy speaker for linking the Umno-PAS alliance to the Taliban.
Noh was not present when Nga made the ruling today. However, he joined the meeting at about noon but by then another deputy speaker, Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon, had taken the speaker’s chair.
Rashid then reminded the Umno MP that he had been suspended and should therefore leave, but Noh ignored the order.
Rashid then called for the sergeant-at-arms to remove Noh from the Dewan but he refused to get up from his seat.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) members then demanded that the Umno lawmaker be booted out and this led to a heated argument with the opposition MPs.
When the proceedings resume at 2.30pm following the lunch break, Ariff returned to take his place as speaker. He then gave Noh the opportunity to defend himself before he made a final ruling.
After hearing him out, Ariff ruled that Nga had made the right decision.
“I have given you the chance to defend yourself. What Nga may have said outside the Dewan shall remain outside. But in the House, he is a deputy speaker. I find that what you have said has clearly challenged the position of the speaker (Nga), and this is wrong.
“So I will maintain the ruling made earlier by Nga. The ruling is final,” he said, despite multiple objections from the opposition bench.
But Noh chose to defy the speaker’s order and tempers flared again. Ariff then called for an adjournment.
When the sitting resumed 15 minutes later, Noh stayed away.
At the lobby, Noh told reporters that he chose not to return for the sitting because he respected Ariff’s decision.
“However, I will not retract my statement that the Teluk Intan MP (Nga) was not fit to be a speaker,” he added.
