Chaos in Parliament after Opposition MP presses House on Sulu-PETRONAS issue

KUALA LUMPUR: Chaos ensued in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (July 18) after an Opposition MP was issued a two-day suspension for pressing the House to address the issue of the Sulu claim on PETRONAS's assets and Sabah.

Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) continued to press for the matter to be discussed in the house after Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun (pic) turned off her microphone and went on with the order of business.

This was despite several Opposition MP’s also raising the need for the matter to be discussed in the house.

Azhar later explained that he had to reject the motion as it would be subjudice since there were ongoing proceedings involving the matter abroad.

Azhar went on to invite Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan to go on with tabling the reading of the National Forestry (Amendment) Bill 2022.

Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon who took over the session then ordered Isnaraissah to leave the House and issued her a two-day suspension, after she did not heed his warning to stop interjecting as the House went on with the business.

"I order Kota Belud to leave the House," he said.

Isnaraissah, however, refused to budge with several Opposition MP’s coming to her support.

"Speaker, what is important? The country’s sovereignty or the forest?," she asked.

Earlier, she had cited the Standing Orders requesting for the matter to be discussed in the Dewan Rakyat.

"Speaker, you have rejected my motion in the Dewan Rakyat on the Sulu claim for the third time," she said while stressing that the nation’s sovereignty was at stake.

"You don’t care because it is Sabah? Because Sulu laid claim on Sabah and not other states?," she said.

Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman (Warisan-Sepanggar) asked Rashid to retract the suspension, as Takiyuddin went on to table the Bill.

“What is more important Sabah or the Forest?,” he echoed Isnaraissah.

Isnaraissah finally agreed to leave the House while Rashid also said that she could submit an appeal on the rejection of her motion.

Later at a press conference at Parliament's media centre, Isnaraissah said that she would be resubmitting her motion to Azhar to allow the issue be debated in the House.

"This will the fourth attempt for such a motion since March.

"The Deputy Speaker has given some indication that this will be allowed and I hope that my application will be considered," she said.

She said that the issue had touched a a raw nerve with leaders from Sabah who still have many questions to raise on the claims made by the alleged heirs of the Sulu sultanate.

"We want an explanation and commitment by the government to fight the case all the way to the finish and settle it once and for all," she added.