KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 — Yamani Hafez Musa was finally sworn in as Sipitang MP in Parliament at 10.05am today after a delay of eight months.
The son of former Sabah chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman is the last federal lawmaker to take his oath of office before Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Seri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof.
Mohamad Ariff warned Yamani in a letter last month that the latter stood to lose his seat if he failed to be sworn in by January 16, and today reminded the Sipitang lawmaker of his duty as an elected representative.
“Even though you just swore your oath as a Dewan Rakyat member, I am confident that you are capable of conducting your duty honourably as demanded by the sanctity of this institution.
“Therefore, I hope you can contribute to this House and country and may you conduct your duties well,” he said.
Yamani disappeared from the public eye after winning Sipitang in the landmark May 9 general election last year that later saw his father ousted as chief minister following several defections to Parti Warisan Sabah president Tan Sri Shafie Apdal’s side.
Media personnel were also ordered to leave immediately after the swearing-in ceremony by a parliamentary officer before they had a chance to approach Yamani for comments.
“Media, please leave. There’s no press conference and the MP does not want to speak to you,” said the officer who did not identify himself.
He then instructed six auxiliary police officers stationed here for the ceremony to ensure all 20 journalists and photographers exited.
A female auxiliary police officer raised her voice and demanded the press disperse when some were slow to react.
“Leave! What are you still doing here? We told you to leave. There’s no press conference,” she shouted.
Dewan Rakyat Secretary Datuk Roosme Hamzah told reporters when met in her office later that she was unaware of any instructions for the media to leave.
An officer from the Speaker’s office speaking on condition of anonymity said neither he nor the Speaker were aware that the media had been ordered out of Parliament, believing the conduct was likely the actions of “little Napoleons”.
Yamani, who had not informed the Speaker’s office if he is a member of the Opposition Barisan Nasional (BN) or an independent lawmaker now, had evaded the press after the ceremony by leaving Parliament through another door.
The 39-year-old was named as part of the Umno exodus late last year that saw five out of six Sabah MPs leaving Umno and the BN coalition, together with nine out of 10 state assemblymen.
Yamani’s father, Musa, is the only Umno assemblyman left in Sabah.
Musa is also under investigation for multiple accounts of corruption and abuses of power.
