KUALA LUMPUR: A brief shouting match broke out in Parliament on Tuesday (Oct 22) after a government backbencher took issue with the use of the term “mamak pasembor”.
RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) took offence to the term used by Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden (PN-Alor Setar) on Monday’s (Oct 21) proceedings, saying it was insulting the Indian Muslim community.
“This is an insulting term and I request for Alor Setar to retract this statement.
“That term is wrong. Even the term mamak is inappropriate,” he said.
Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim (PN-Arau) then raised the House’s standing order, saying Rayer cast aspersions that the Alor Setar MP insulted Indian Muslims.
“Since when did he (Alor Setar) insult? The way he used that term was not meant to insult anyone,” he said.
Shahidan added that he also has many friends from the Indian Muslim community and there was no issue.
“He is accusing us of insulting but we are not,” he said.
Presiding Speaker Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah, then asked dissatisfied MPs to file a motion on this.
The matter first arose on Monday (Oct 21) after Rayer highlighted how Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim personally went to Kedah during the recent floods, claiming that Afnan did not greet Anwar at the time.
To this, Afnan said the Prime Minister had his own officers to greet him.
“The Prime Minister is not like a mamak pasembor who can go anywhere and meet people in the streets.
“They have to adhere to their own protocols,” Afnan said on Monday.
