Ahmad Marzuk’s speech against Howard Lee was not malicious, says Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor, has reviewed the video recordings of Tuesday’s proceedings and concluded that there was no malicious intent in the remarks made by Datuk Ahmad Marzuk Shaary, a Member of Parliament from Pengkalan Chepa, against a DAP MP’s interpretation of the Quran. Ramli stated that Howard Lee, the PH-Ipoh Timur MP, could not point out any specific phrase uttered by Ahmad Marzuk that could be considered as malicious. Ramli emphasized that he cannot rule based on assumptions and without any clear indication from the MP who raised the matter.

He further added, “For any MP who wishes to raise such a matter in the future, it is essential to explain which specific phrase was intended maliciously.” The Standing Order 36(6) prohibits any Member of Parliament from imputing improper motives of another member. After examining the video of Lee’s speech in the Dewan Rakyat, Ramli remarked that there were no elements of malicious intent in Ahmad Marzuk’s speech. He also acknowledged that the issue was already widely reported in the media.

In response to Ramli’s ruling, several DAP MPs expressed their dissatisfaction, stating that it could establish a new precedent in Parliament. RSN Rayer, the PH-Jelutong MP, accused Ahmad Marzuk of labeling several DAP MPs as “kafirs” and raised concerns about normalizing such offensive language in Parliament. Rayer expressed disappointment and called for the Deputy Speaker to take a firmer stance to prevent the repetition of such remarks, as it constitutes hate speech. Ramli advised Rayer to file a motion regarding the matter if he was unsatisfied with the ruling.

The incident took place on Tuesday, where a shouting match ensued in Parliament after Ahmad Marzuk questioned Howard Lee regarding his viral video of a Quranic interpretation. Ramli, who chaired the session, announced that he would make a ruling on the matter. Last month, Lee had shared a video on TikTok in which he quoted a verse from the Quran. His remarks received backlash, and he subsequently issued an apology.