KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon caused an uproar in the House today for letting off a DAP MP with a warning after earlier ordering him to retract his “gangster” remark against Umno Youth members.

The newly-minted deputy speaker had earlier demanded Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh to withdraw his remark after Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers kicked up stink over the description.

The Opposition MPs cited Parliamentary Standing Orders 36 (4), where a member of the House cannot use uncouth or impolite terms to describe anyone.

“I ask Sungai Petani to continue with his debate and I ask Bukit Gelugor to retract his statement,” Mohd Rashid said at first, referring to PKR's Datuk Johari Abdul and Ramkarpal by their federal seats respectively.

But Ramkarpal refused to retract his remark, which interrupted the debate over the royal address for one long hour amid a shouting match between MPs from the ruling Pakatan Harapan and the Opposition.

“I hold my stance that the Umno youth members who entered Dewan Rakyat and assaulted the late Karpal Singh were gangsters, not the Umno youth chief or Umno Youth. I was saying facts, can't we accept facts?” asked Ramkarpal whose father was Karpal and the previous Bukit Gelugor MP until his death in a road accident in April 2014.

“I apologise, but with the greatest of respect I cannot retract my statement,” he added.

Earlier, Ramkarpal had interjected during Johari's speech and referred to an incident in Parliament a few years back when a group of Umno Youth members accosted a wheelchair-bound Karpal while on Parliament grounds.

Ramkarpal used the word “gangsters” in describing his father's attackers, saying their Youth chief had been let off with a wrist slap as punishment.

Upon hearing Ramkarpal's explanation, Mohd Rashid then gave the DAP man a warning instead and asked Johari to continue with the royal address debate.

But the Opposition lawmakers were unhappy with the deputy speaker's ruling and stood up and started shouting that it was against the Standing Orders.

The objections were led by Kuala Krau MP Datuk Ismail Mohd Said who was backed by Lenggong MP Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, Parit Sulong MP Datuk Noraini Ahmad, Baling MP Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim and Beluran MP Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee among others.

Kota Bharu MP from PAS Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan sought to ask if the deputy speaker was setting a precedent with the warning, but his question went unanswered in the ensuing noisy quarrel.

During the fracas, Johari also reminded senior Opposition members of the House not to “rag or bully” the fresh deputy speaker on his first day at the job.

But this set off another rouns as Ismail Mohd denied Johari's allegations and said they were upholding the Rule of Law and were defending the deputy speaker's position.

BN's Ketereh MP Tan Sri Annuar Musa had also reminded his peers that MPs must follow the speaker's instructions and decisions.

Annuar got unexpected support from DAP's Datuk Ngeh Khoo Ham, but the Beruas MP countered by saying the speaker had made a ruling and that it was BN lawmakers who refused to adhere to it by arguing that it was not a proper ruling based on the Standing Orders.

During the commotion, the word “gangster” was being tossed left and right with Jelutong MP RSN Rayer being called a “gangster” by Kinabatangan MP Datuk Seri Bung Mokhtar.

Throughout it all, Mohd Rashid could hardly be heard, or if heard, was ignored.

No one took notice of his instructions for Johari to continue his debate on the royal address, even after he told them that anyone who refused to sit down and give way should leave the Dewan Rakyat.