Speaker denies rejecting motion to debate floods, says no one submitted motion

Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Azizan Harun has denied allegations that he rejected a motion to debate the ongoing flood situation on the last day of the Dewan Rakyat sitting on Monday.

Azhar explained that for urgent matters and those that needed to be discussed immediately, a motion under Standing Orders 18(1) needed to be submitted a day in advance before the sitting takes place.

“Regarding the flood situation, MPs can send a notice to me via WhatsApp and so on before the sitting (Dec 20). In fact, a written motion can be submitted on the morning of Dec 20. However, no one did that.”