GEORGE TOWN, Dec 9 — Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen here staged a walkout from the assembly after Opposition Leader Datuk Jahara Hamid’s speech was repeatedly interrupted during the debate on the state Budget this morning.
Jahara’s (BN-Teluk Air Tawar) delivery was halted by backbenchers several times and she was told to retract her statements to which they had taken issue.
When Jahara was again disrupted for asking when and why Pulau Jerejak was renamed to “Ma Zu Island”, she stood up to leave, which prompted all other BN state assemblymen to follow suit.
Jahara had shown a picture of a temple on the island as well as a photo of state executive councillor Abdul Malik Abul Kassim handing out funding to the temple committee.
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers demanded she retract the remarks as these insinuated that the state had already approved for the island to be renamed “Ma Zu Island”.
Earlier, she was also told to retract others statements, such as one alleging that developers needed to get the “green light” from PR assemblymen before their projects were approved.
Speaker Datuk Law Choo Kiang later ordered her to retract the statement.
Law also reprimanded backbencher RSN Rayer (DAP — Seri Delima), who repeatedly stood up to object to Jahara’s speech to demand retractions and clarifications.
In a press conference outside the assembly, Jahara clarified that the whole issue was not about the temple but about whether Pulau Jerejak had been renamed as Ma Zu Island.
She showed a photograph of an event by the Ma Zu Temple that had described the island as “Ma Zu Island”.
“We just want to know if the island has been changed to Ma Zu Island,” she said.
She added that she also wanted to know whether the building on Pantai Jerejak, which once housed leprosy patients, was legally converted into the temple.
She said the walkout was because she was not given a chance to speak at all during her debate.
“I was interrupted at every turn, I was essentially not allowed to talk at all,” she said, claiming she was targeted as she was a woman.
“So, does this mean we are not allowed to raise controversial issues and say everything positive about the state government?” she asked.
The walkout took place two hours before lunch, and Jahara said they will rejoin the assembly after the break.
