Azhar (right)shaking hands with Pelosi at the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Aug 2). - Bernamapic
KUALA LUMPUR: There was a buzz of excitement at the Parliament building on Tuesday (Aug 2) during the visit by United States House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Security was tight with sections of Parliament building cordoned off as Pelosi arrived with a congressional delegation.
Among those on hand to welcome Pelosi and her delegation were Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun and several Members of Parliament when they arrived at about 11.45am.
She spent about an hour holding talks with Azhar before adjourning for a luncheon meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob at a leading hotel here.
Pelosi, 82, who was dressed in pink, was spotted leaving Parliament building at about 12.50pm.
Azhar, who was seen leaving his office soon afterwards, gestured the "thumbs up" when asked on Pelosi's courtesy call.
"It was a good bilateral talk," he said while walking off.
Her visit to Parliament also saw two issues raised in Dewan Rakyat which had direct links to the US.
Among them was the tabling of a report by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin on the human trafficking report.
The report comes after the nation continues to remain under Tier Three of the Trafficking in Persons Report July 2022 based on the US Department of State annual report which was released last month.
Also raised was Malaysia's efforts to fulfil the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety status following a downgrade from Category 1 to Category 2 in November 2019.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong informed the House that the nation was on track to fulfil the FAA's 29 findings with an announcement to be made by the US aviation authorities later this month.
Meanwhile, when wrapping up his replies on the report, Hamzah said that the tabling of the report on human trafficking had nothing to do with Pelosi's visit to Parliament.
"It has nothing to do with her visit. In fact, I spoke to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker about tabling a report on the issue two days after the report was released by the US Department of State.
"I requested a week for me to prepare the report," he said. The report was released on July 20.
Several opposition MPs questioned the timing of the report tabled by Hamzah which was not included in Parliament's Standing Order.
It is Pelosi's maiden visit to Malaysia with Gregory Meeks, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also in the delegation list.
Pelosi is number three in the line of US presidential succession and the only woman who has served as the Speaker of US house.
Kuala Lumpur is Pelosi’s second stop after Singapore on Monday before she heads to South Korea and Japan with her tour being closely watched to see if Taiwan is also in her itinerary.
