KUALA LUMPUR – Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul has issued a stern warning to lawmakers to not involve him in their “political games,” following the opposition alleging that he practises favouritism towards his son, Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari (Sg Petani-PH).
Addressing Parliament at the start of the afternoon session today, Johari said that he was aggrieved by the claim, which was issued earlier by PAS lawmaker Datuk Awang Hashim (Pendang-PN) after Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim (Arau-PN) took issue with his pending motions.
“I was deeply offended. The insinuation cut me deep. If you want to play games, play games among (yourselves), but don’t get the speaker involved. I’m doing my best to address problems faced by the rakyat.
“Once you get the speaker involved, it becomes difficult. I don’t mind if you want to play politics, but don’t get the speaker involved because I have all the evidence. You might have your say, but I have my way,” Johari said.
Johari, a PKR veteran, then challenged any MPs who have an issue with him to voice their grouses by putting forth a motion to remove him as the lower House’s speaker.
“I was not appointed (as speaker) by any party, I was chosen under the federal constitution. If any MPs don’t like me, put a motion (to) get me out of here. As long as I’m here, when a Standing Order is invoked, listen to me.
“I will allow you to play political games, but when the speaker says stop (because) we have a bigger agenda to focus on, you come out with statements saying that the speaker… it’s not good.
“I can give you space (to speak), but don’t attack the speaker. There’s no point, you score nothing, you get nothing,” he added.
Johari also highlighted that Shahidan’s motions were on allegations of abuse of power by civil servants during political campaigns as well as worker shortages in the nursing and barber shop sectors.
Taufiq’s motion, meanwhile, was on the matter of the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry’s discovery of nearly half a million ringgit worth of local white rice stashed in a warehouse in Kedah amid the nation facing a shortage of the foodstuff.
Earlier today, Awang was booted out of the Dewan Rakyat after he refused to retract his comment alleging that Taufiq’s motion, which was submitted yesterday, had been approved today as he is an “anak papa” (father’s child), claiming that there is a “conflict of interest.”
His comments triggered a round of criticism from government backbenchers, with several lawmakers calling on Awang to withdraw his statement, especially since Deputy Speaker Alice Lau (Lanang-PH) had explained that Taufiq’s motion was approved by her fellow Deputy Speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor (Cameron Highlands-BN), not Johari.
In response, an apparently defiant Awang said: “I didn’t mean anything. Everyone is anak papa, even I myself am one. Why is (Taufiq) offended?”
Lau then ordered the lawmaker to leave the Dewan Rakyat and to only return for the afternoon session. – October 12, 2023