by ASILA JALIL / pic by BERNAMA

DEWAN Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun (picture) denied claims that a senior minister had blocked Teluk Intan MP Nga Kor Ming from chairing the afternoon session of the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

Azhar Azizan said he did provide a letter to Nga inviting him to chair the session yesterday from 2.30 until 4pm under Standing Order 7(3).

“I would like to thank Teluk Intan because he was ready to accept my request but I changed my mind at the last minute.

“The proceeding was valid because I chaired it. I was not pressured by anyone to change my mind and I used my jurisdiction as the Speaker to do so,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Earlier during Minister’s Question Time, Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong interjected the session and asked for clarification on the matter from deputy speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon who was presiding over the session.

“I want to know if the Senior Minister is in the house today because I see two senior ministers here,” said Khoo.

Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo then asked Gombak MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali to answer if he was the senior minister who had blocked Nga from presiding over the session yesterday.

Mohamed Azmin then stood up to provide an answer but was cut off by Rashid who did not allow arguments during the session.