GEORGE TOWN: The Penang legislative assembly yesterday approved a five-point emergency motion over the intrusion into the chambers on Wednesday of about 100 men demanding an apology from an assemblyman over a remark.
The motion, proposed and tabled by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, sought to, among others, condemn the intrusion by the people claiming to be from Umno and express regret over the incident regarded as a malicious attack against parliamentary democracy and the institution of the monarchy.
It also sought to direct Penang Chief Police Officer Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi and the security forces to take over security duty outside and in the compound of the state assembly building, and set up a special committee to prepare a report on the incident.
The special committee is to be chaired by the state assembly speaker Datuk Law Choo Kiang and comprise also deputy speaker Maktar Shapee, opposition leader Datuk Jahara Hamid and assemblymen Chow Kon Yeow (Padang Kota) and Datuk Mohd Salleh Man (Permatang Pasir).
Lim (DAP-Air Putih), when tabling the motion, said the incident should not have happened and had never happened in a country subscribing to parliamentary democracy and an institutional monarchy.
“We most regret that the security in the state legislative assembly had been breached so easily. I most regret that the intruders had the blessings of the opposition assemblymen. We have to take this matter seriously,” he said. — Bernama