KUCHING: Former Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun, who has been elected as the new Dewan Rakyat Speaker, should be a good and fair Speaker, said Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Jemut Masing.
“Being the former chairman of EC, who was taken to oversee a fair general election during his time, which he did and did very well,” he told New Sarawak Tribune in a statement on Monday (July 13).
Masing said he believed Azhar, or better known as Art Harun, would apply the same spirit of fairness, and the same attitude of ensuring that Malaysian lawmakers behave themselves while formulating laws to safeguard the nation.
“I am sure he will not tolerate our parliament to be like a fish market where qualify of debate is judged by the volume of one’s voice, not by the antics of animals in the zoo in attracting visitors to their cages,” he said.
He added that Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin also did well in nominating Art Harun to be the Speaker of the Lower House.
“Pakatan Harapan (PH) are sore losers. Art Harun was legitimately elected by the parliament, albeit by razor-thin majority.
“The opposition lawmakers make a zoo of our Lower House. What an embarrassment,” said the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president.
Muhyiddin had tabled the second motion proposing for Azhar to be elected as the new Speaker in accordance with Standing Order 4(1) of the Dewan Rakyat.
The first motion was to call for Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof to vacate his post because there was another candidate.
