The Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker, Alice Lau, reprimanded a lawmaker from the Perikatan Nasional party for refusing to sit despite being ordered to do so. Mohd Misbahul Munir Masduki (PN-Parit Buntar) cited the lower House’s standing orders, expressing dissatisfaction with RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) for questioning the alleged failure of Harakah, the official media organ for PAS, to pay its printers for years after falling into debt. He accused Rayer of repeatedly bringing up unrelated topics during the federal Budget debates.
Mohd Misbahul had previously stated that he would respond to the issue outside the House, but Lau dismissed it as a non-issue and instructed the Budget 2024 debates to continue. However, Mohd Misbahul persisted, demanding that Rayer retract his statement and expressing his upset. Lau responded by suggesting that if he was unhappy, he could file a motion and added, “If you’re still experiencing heartache, go and see a doctor,” to applause from other lawmakers.
Rayer had raised the issue of PAS’s alleged inability to settle its financial debts with its former Harakah printers during the Budget 2024 debates, which Mohd Misbahul evaded answering on Monday. A recent news portal reported that the party’s official mouthpiece had accrued outstanding payments, and the former printers criticized PAS for leading a “lavish lifestyle” while failing to fulfill its financial obligations.
