War of words over NIISe

A SHOUTING match erupted in the Dewan Rakyat when issues surrounding the son-in-law of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the ongoing probe into the National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) project were raised during debates.

The incident was sparked when Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) mentioned that there were recent media reports claiming that “Pagoh” (Muhyiddin’s parliamentary constituency) had awarded the NIISe contract to his son-in-law.

Opposition chief Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin (PN-Larut) challenged Khoo to repeat his allegations outside if he was brave enough to do so.

Also coming to Muhyiddin’s defence was Datuk Awang Hashim (PN-Pendang), who requested Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Alice Lau order Khoo to retract his statement, which he said was “a direct reference made against an MP with ill intentions”.

As the House descended into yet another shouting match, Muhyiddin stood up and denied Khoo’s allegations.

“I have been calmly sitting here listening to the allegations by Kota Melaka.

Heated exchange: Opposition MPs standing up to voice their objection to Khoo’s allegations. — Bernama

“I had previously clarified after the issue was raised by the MPs from Jelutong and Ipoh Barat saying my son-in-law Muhamad Adlan Berhan was awarded the NIISe (project) when Larut was the Home Minister.

“These are false allegations to tarnish my reputation and that of my family. This is a serious matter,” Muhyiddin said as he challenged Khoo to repeat his allegations outside the Dewan Rakyat.

He questioned Khoo for making assumptions based on news reports that he claimed were “fake news”, adding that his son-in-law had lodged a police report on the allegations against him.

Lau stepped in to cool things down by asking Khoo to show the newspaper reports he was referring to.

Several Opposition MPs could be heard calling on Lau to make a ruling and order Khoo to retract his statement.Khoo later complied with Lau’s request, but took another jibe at the NIISe issue.

“I will retract my remarks, and now I will rephrase my sentence, that everyone can read this from the newspaper, which mentioned that a son-in-law to someone has obtained the NIISe project.

“We know who that person is. Otherwise, those on the other side wouldn’t have interrupted us,” Khoo said cheekily before resuming his debate.

On Feb 8, it was reported that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was probing a former prime minister and his son-in-law in relation to a government contract believed to be linked to NIISe.

On Feb 17, Muhyiddin, who is Perikatan Nasional chairman, was questioned by MACC over claims that a government contract worth over a billion ringgit was handed to his relative.