IPOH, Sept 11 — Perak State Assembly Speaker Datuk Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid today rejected a motion by Sungai Manik assemblyman Datuk Zainol Fadzi Paharudin to shorten the suspension of Gunung Semanggol representative Razman Zakaria.
Mohammad Zahir said the motion did not satisfy requirements under the Standing Orders, which state that any motion must be specific, urgent and of public interest.
“While the motion was specific, it related more to the personal position of the Semanggol representative and did not affect his role as an elected lawmaker.
“Therefore, the element of urgency does not arise, and the matter is more academic in nature.
“So after thorough deliberation, I rule that the motion is inadmissible and formally reject it,” he told the assembly at the Perak Darul Ridzuan Building here.
He also noted that Razman’s suspension was endorsed by the Assembly after the Rights and Privileges Committee’s findings.
“The assemblyman would be able to return to the sitting in November once the six-month suspension ends in October,” he added.
Last Tuesday, Zainol – who is the Opposition whip chief – submitted the motion an hour before the Assembly convened, arguing that the punishment was too harsh.
Razman, who is also the Perak PAS commissioner, was suspended on April 16 for six months over remarks deemed slanderous and racially charged.
The suspension stemmed from a motion by DAP’s Bercham assemblyman Ong Boon Piow, who said Razman had made the remarks during the December 2 sitting.
Razman was referred to the committee after claiming that Malaysian citizens had raised Chinese national flags at an event in Teluk Intan last October 24.
