Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof has been asked to turn off the air-conditioning in the House to ensure attendance of Pakatan Harapan MPs.

In a sarcasm-laden letter to the Speaker, Umno Youth exco Shahrul Nasrun Kamaruddin said he sympathised with PH lawmakers who felt the Dewan Rakyat was too cold for them to attend debates.

“We request that Parliament Malaysia switches off the air-con when parliament is in session. 

“We are deeply sympathetic with the PH MPs who are unable to attend the parliament session and carry out their responsibilities after being elected by the people in the last general election,” Sharul Nasrun said in the letter that was given to the press today.

He was mocking Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohamed Hanipa Maidin who said that MPs had been outside the chamber during an important vote on Tuesday because it was “too cold” inside.

On Tuesday the opposition had asked for a bloc vote on the 2020 budget for the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.

There was a momentary panic as the government MPs were vastly outnumbered by the opposition members at the time. The Speaker had to rang the bell to summon the lawmakers into the chamber.

The ministry’s budget was passed with 45 votes for and 28 against, after more PH lawmakers scrambled into the chamber.

Asked about the MPs’ absence the following day, Hanipa had said it was not easy for them to sit through the entire proceedings as the room was “very cold”. – November 28, 2019.