Deputy speaker banishes DAP rep defending Noor Hisham against Perikatan slurs

Chan Kok Leong Diyana Ibrahim Chan Kok Leong, Diyana Ibrahim Updated 3 years ago · Published on 11 Nov 2020 2:40PM · 2 Comments

THE director-general of health was the subject of a row today in the Dewan Rakyat that ended with DAP’S Jelutong MP being thrown out of chambers.

RSN Rayer was kicked out by the speaker after he refused to sit down after standing up to defend Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah who was being denigrated by a Perikatan Nasional MP.

Tiong King Sing (GPS-Bintulu) was talking about the health official’s performance in relation to the Covid-19 epidemic and had suggested that Noor Hisham Abdullah had failed as he had not been  to the Sabah frontlines to boost morale.

Tiong demanded to know why Noor Hisham had not visited the state, asking if it was because he was afraid of dying.

“Every day he announces clusters. If it’s just an announcement even the office boy can do this. Why does he not go to the ground? Like the Kota Kinabalu Hospital now it is in bad shape,” he said while debating the budget.

“He should go see and talk with the frontliners. Doctors, nurses are all working. They don’t seem afraid to die but the director general is scared of dying. The DG and his deputy don’t want to go.

“I hear he wants to be the WHO secretary-general. He’s not qualified, in my opinion,” Tiong said, referring to the World Health Organisation.

This triggered Rayer, who immediately demanded that Tiong retract the remark about the director-general being afraid of death.

“This is an attack on the frontline. He should retract it. I won’t allow him to attack the D-G. The DG is a frontliner,” Rayer said to Deputy Speaker Azalina Othman.

Azalina told Rayer to sit down but he remained on his feet while Tiong refused to back down. After repeated calls for Rayer to sit down went unheeded, Azalina ordered him to get out.

Azalina told the house she could not do her job if the members refused to comply with the chair’s orders.

“How am I to deliver my ruling if you don’t sit down?” said the Pengerang MP. 

Sabah is the hardest-hit state in the coronavirus epidemic in Malaysia, accounting for the bulk of the country’s daily cases, which in recent days have passed the 1,000 mark. – November 11, 2020.

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Comments

  • Where are the melayu-muslim MPs from PN who should have defended of the DG from unsubstantiated accusation by the GPS lawmaker from Bintulu. Noor Hisham has done a magnificentt job at his level thus far. Does he need to go on the ground each time there is a new cluster reported. Hats off to YB Rayan from PH (some labeled the DAP as chinese chauvinist party, are they?) for coming to the DG's defense. He was thrown out from the Dewan for voicing his opposition. Such is the conduct from our illegal Speakers.

    Posted 3 years ago by Anwar Ismail · Reply

  • Even if the DG isn't a Muslim he should not be treated and spoke of in such utter way, if its not for him and his team I dare to say we would have been in a bad state right now. Does Tiong want to apologies now that with proof the DG has been to Sabah? A typical politician who knows how to bark to gain some rating on himself but without any solution.

    Posted 3 years ago by Teruna Kelana · Reply