'Am I a threat?' - Wan Ahmad Fayhsal questions Dewan Rakyat public gallery ban

KUALA LUMPUR - Machang Member of Parliament Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal will be sending a letter to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul requesting a reconsideration of the ban imposed on him from being in the Public Gallery of the Dewan Rakyat.

Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, who was suspended for six months from attending Dewan Rakyat sessions last July, described the regulation as unreasonable.

He argued that the ban was excessive, given his status as an elected official.

He also questioned the provisions in the Standing Orders that Johari cited to justify the restriction.

"Am I a threat to Parliament? Does my presence create pressure on the institution?

"Am I really too dangerous to be in Parliament when I am not allowed to speak at all?

"I am unsure which rule is being referenced that bars me from the observer area, the Public Gallery, and staff areas. I have not spoken a word.

"Am I being treated worse than officials, or even less favourably than members of the public who attend the session?" he told a press conference at Dewan Rakyat here today.

Earlier in the Dewan Rakyat, Opposition members questioned the reason behind Wan Ahmad Fayhsal's ban from the Public Gallery.

Referencing Standing Order 44 (5), Kota Bharu MP Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan stated that Wan Ahmad Fayhsal had been present in the Public Gallery last Monday but received a letter from Johari on Tuesday, prohibiting him from continuing to do so.

Wan Ahmad Fayhsal highlighted that in March 2018, Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang, then the MP for Gelang Patah, was also suspended for six months but was still allowed in the House, although he could not participate in debates.

"There is a precedent the Speaker could follow. What’s wrong with me sitting alongside the officials?

"I can support them in discussions and represent the voices of my constituents from my Parliament and state," he added.