Perak legislative assembly speaker Ngeh Koo Ham has clarified that he did not reject a motion brought by Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who had sought a debate on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd).
Ngeh told Malaysiakini that Faizal, who is also Chenderiang assemblyperson, had filed the motion on Nov 19, but withdrew it after the federal government decided on Nov 23 that Malaysia will not seek to be a party to the treaty.
However, Ngeh said he did reject a similar motion brought by opposition Changkat Jering lawmaker Ahmad Saidi Mohamad Daud.
“Foreign affairs comes under the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution. Parliament is the proper forum for this topic.
“After the events of Nov 23, the matter was now academic,” said Ngeh.
According to Sinar Harian, Ahmad Saidi protested against Ngeh’s decision on grounds that his motion should be debated to show support for the federal government.
An earlier Sinar Harian report had claimed that Ngeh rejected Faizal’s motion.
This led to Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki questioning if whether Faizal was in control of the state.
"If a motion by the menteri besar - the head of the state government - is rejected by the DAP speaker, who is actually in control of Perak? The menteri besar or DAP?" asked Asyraf.
Under Westminster-style parliamentary systems, the speaker is supposed to act in an independent manner, even if the person represented a particular party.
Despite Putrajaya’s decision, a massive rally concerning Icerd has been planned in Kuala Lumpur this Saturday.
The gathering, which was initially to oppose the possible ratification of the UN instrument, has been converted to a “thanksgiving” gathering, following the government’s decision.
NGO Gerakan Pembela Ummah (Ummah) is the main organiser of the event, and it is supported by opposition parties Umno and PAS, which had estimated that some 500,000 of their members will flood the streets on Saturday.
Further reading: The Icerd Outrage
