Malaysian opposition stages walkout over 'procedure'

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Malaysia's opposition lawmakers staged a walkout from the Dewan Rakyat – the lower house of the parliament – on Monday to protest that the election of the speaker "did not adhere to procedure," according to Bernama news agency.

Nominated by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, former Court of Appeal judge Mohamad Ariff Yusof took his oath of office as the speaker of the Dewan Rakyat during the country's first parliament sitting since the May 9 general election. He was the only candidate for the position.

However, leading figures from UMNO and Barisan Nasional, the former ruling coalition that holds only 51 seats in the 222-member parliament, as well as other parties challenged the naming of Ariff as the speaker, accusing the government of failing to adhere to the required 14-day notice for the nomination.

Mahathir Mohamad (C) celebrates his victory in the general election in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 10, 2018. /VCG Photo

"Although the Dewan Rakyat secretary had informed that the leader of the House, the prime minister, had sent the letter to the Dewan Rakyat secretary on July 2, we have adequate proof that the 14-day notice as stipulated in the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders was not followed," Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) MP for Kota Bharu Takiyuddin Hassan told reporters later.

"Parliament is a place where we have to follow protocol, it is not a circus or platform to take revenge," Ketereh MP Annuar Musa of Barisan Nasional said, denying that the opposition had boycotted parliament.

The MPs later returned to take their oaths of office.

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is facing a corruption trial, also took his oath as an opposition lawmaker. "My priority is to serve the people, and I want to be an opposition lawmaker who is constructive," he said.

Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak greets his supporters as he leaves a court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 4, 2018. /VCG Photo

Publicity stunt?

MPs from the ruling parties described the mass walkout as a publicity stunt.

"They (the opposition) boycotted the proclamation ceremony [of the speaker], but they came back in for the swearing in," Seremban MP Anthony Loke Siew Fook told the press. "To me, it was just an act to grab the media's attention."

The nomination of Ariff as the speaker is part of the institutional reform spearheaded by Mahathir, a report by Nikkei Asian Review noted. The 93-year-old prime minister sought to empower the parliament and reduce the decision-making functions of his own department, it said, adding that the parliament will oversee offices for anti-corruption, elections, judicial appointment and human rights.

This file photo taken on July 8, 2015 shows Malaysia's iconic Twin towers in the backdrop of the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) logo on a billboard at the funds flagship Tun Razak Exchange under-development site in Kuala Lumpur. /VCG Photo

The move aims to keep the offices free from political influence, as many of them were accused of shielding Najib from the 1MDB scandal.

Ariff, 69, retired as Court of Appeal judge in 2015. His nonpartisan stance is crucial to carry out reforms in the parliament, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

"I pledge to work with everyone towards improving the power of the parliament to ensure the democratic culture of efficiency, fairness and justice," said Ariff during Monday's parliament session.

(Top photo: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad works in his office in Kuala Lumpur, June 22, 2018. /VCG Photo)

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