PETALING JAYA: Machang MP and Perikatan Nasional member Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal has been suspended from the Dewan Rakyat for six months starting from today.
This comes following his statement on a poison-pen letter said to contain information on the true mastermind behind the Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) takeover.
The motion was first tabled by Minister in Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reformation) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said and was passed after a bipartisan vote.
Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul informed that 110 members of Parliament agreed while 63 MPs disagreed with the motion after it was tabled by the Opposition and parliamentary MPs.
While tabling the motion, Azalina suggested Wan Ahmad Fayhsal’s suspension after the aforementioned letter raised could not identify the complainant and the validity of the information.
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Azalina added not only it negatively impacts the accused individual but also generally affects the agency officials under the ministry who may have been wronged because of these baseless allegations.
Furthermore, she asserted that MPs cannot speak of any government officials’ conduct or characteristics unless pertaining to their work ethic.
Wan Ahmah Fayhsal’s allegations can also be characterised as demeaning the dignity of the ministry’s agency officials who are working very hard in assisting the administration to build the nation, along with making serious statements and allegations that can incite the opposition towards the government.
Several parliamentary and Opposition MPs tabled these motions as well.
Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu) raised the issue of the poison-pen letter being treasonous to the country - pointing out that the letter contains elements of wrongdoing whether under Section 36 (9) or 36 (10).
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“There are matters that need to be examined by the Speaker, and there are legal avenues available to Tan Sri Speaker,“ he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Azli Yusof (PH-Shah Alam) pointed out the issue brought up by the Machang MP is serious and could sully the reputation of the individual accused of being the mastermind behind the ownership of MAHB shares.
He added that the letter raised by Wan Ahmad Fayhsal in his debate will also affect the credibility and integrity of the nation’s civil servants.
