KUALA LUMPUR: Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul has requested Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to provide an explanation over allegations that he misled the House, along with any supporting evidence or documents by Nov 12.
In a letter dated Nov 4, Johari said the request followed a motion submitted by Chong Zhemin (PH-Kampar) seeking to refer Ahmad Zahid to the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee under Standing Order 36(12).
"It is hereby informed that the Member of Parliament for Kampar, Chong Zhemin, submitted a motion dated Nov 3, 2026, requesting that you (Ahmad Zahid) be referred to the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee under Standing Order 36(12) of the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders.
“A copy of the letter by the Kampar MP is hereby enclosed for your (Ahmad Zahid's) attention.
"In this regard, you are requested to provide an explanation on the matter and submit any documents supporting the explanation by Thursday, Nov 12, 2026, at the latest," Johari said in the letter shared with the media on Thursday (Nov 5).
The matter arose following allegations of contradictory statements by Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, and Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan over the reallocation of funds for rural development projects.
On Nov 2, Chong raised the issue in the Dewan Rakyat, claiming that Ahmad Zahid had previously stated that no projects were sacrificed to finance other initiatives through Notices of Change (NOC).
However, Chong claimed this contradicted Amir Hamzah's explanation that additional allocations for the Rural Road Programme (JALB) had resulted in reduced funding for other programmes.
Johari subsequently advised Chong to submit a formal motion if he wished to pursue the matter and seek Ahmad Zahid's referral to the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee.
