KOTA KINABALU – Sabah assembly speaker Datuk Kadzim Yahya said the Sulu claim over Sabah comes under federal purview when he rejected a last-minute motion filed by opposition leader, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Senallang-Warisan), today.
He advised Shafie, who is also Semporna MP, that such a discussion is more apt for debate in Parliament, adding that the application was against the house’s regulations.
“I have received a motion from Senallang assemblyman (Shafie) at 11.20am today.
“But after reviewing the motion, I have decided to reject the motion, as the application was done less than 24 hours before the assembly sitting begins.
“I think it is best for you to bring the motion to Parliament, as the matter comes under the federal list, and therefore should be dealt with by the federal government,” he said during the Sabah assembly sitting here today.
Shafie had earlier defended his motion, saying that the matter can be discussed at any time during the ongoing sitting, which begins today until Thursday.
“This is a matter of sovereignty. Therefore, it is important to have a unified voice from the assembly to reject the Sulu claim,” he said.
In response, Kadzim said he has reviewed all the assembly sittings going back as far as 1993, and found that there has been no problem over this matter.
In the Dewan Rakyat, an uproar occurred earlier when the motion on the seizure of Petronas firms by the heirs of the Sulu Sultanate was also rejected by the Dewan Rakyat speaker.
Shafie has called for a press conference over the issue at 4.30pm.
Earlier, in an exciting start on the first day of the parliamentary sitting today, Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun fled the august house after coming under intense fire when opposition lawmakers questioned why the motion to debate the seizure of Petronas assets by Sulu claimants was rejected.
Azhar traded furious verbal blows with several MPs – Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Kota Belud-Warisan), Ramkarpal Singh (Bukit Gelugor-PH) and Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman (Sepanggar-Warisan) – after disallowing the issue from being debated today.
Following the fiery exchange, Isnaraissah, who did not back down, was also suspended for two days, effective immediately for interrupting proceedings in the Dewan Rakyat. – The Vibes, July 18, 2022
