KUALA LUMPUR – Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal has expressed sympathy for Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, who he claims was “forced” by his party’s leader to impose the parliamentary suspension on the Machang MP.
Wan Fayhsal also defended his decision to bring up the poison pen letter in Parliament, saying that he would not apologise for the move, even if a retraction of his allegations could lead to the lifting of his suspension.
Wan Fayhsal described Johari as diligent but believes that the 69-year-old, who is a member of PKR, should exercise better judgement.
“To be honest, I have known Johari since I joined Bersatu during the formation of the party with the Pakatan Harapan coalition,” Wan Fayhsal said.
“He is diligent and a reformist, but I understand that in his current situation, he has to follow his boss’ instructions, which has led to an error in judgement.”
“I understand that his decision has been questioned by the public and several other parties, but he is a good person and, foremost, a politician.
“So, he is being forced to follow his party’s directives. I sympathise with him and believe he can make better decisions,” Wan Fayhsal said during an appearance on Scoop’s Trick Lama podcast recently.
The podcast session was hosted by Big Boom Media CEO Datuk Zainul Arifin Mohammed Isa, group executive director Datuk Ahirudin Attan (better known as Rocky Bru), and group editor-in-chief Terence Fernandez.
Recently, the Dewan Rakyat voted on a motion to suspend Wan Fayhsal, who is also Bersatu Youth chief, with 110 MPs in favour, 63 against, and three abstaining. Another 46 MPs were absent.
The motion, tabled by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, alleged that Wan Fayhsal cited a “poison pen letter” with unverified facts.
The letter mentioned an alleged mastermind behind Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd’s (MAHB) privatisation, when debating the annual report of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) for 2021 and 2022 in the Dewan Rakyat, earlier this month.
By citing such an anonymous letter during his parliamentary debates on July 1, Wan Fayhsal was accused of maligning civil servants using unverified information.
During the podcast, Wan Fayhsal also said that some quarters had advised him to make an open apology.
“That is what Bagan MP (Lim Guan Eng) whispered to me before I was removed that day. He said, ‘Brother, why don’t you just apologise in this hall?’ And then I said, ‘Why would I do that as I didn’t do anything wrong?’”
“There was a suggestion from friends to do so (apologise), but I haven’t been consulted by the opposition leader yet, so I won’t say anything on this matter,” Wan Fayhsal said.
“If there is an opportunity for me to return without damaging my integrity, I am willing. But do not force me to admit fault as if I had distributed anonymous letters and so on. I will defend what I have done, and I do not feel that I am guilty.”
“So far, I have discussed with several political leaders in the Machang area – PAS and Bersatu – and they have no issue with my absence from the Dewan Rakyat because I am being punished in this way.
“In fact, they are proud to have a member of Parliament who is willing to defend the nation’s sovereignty, even if it means being suspended for six months.” – July 28, 2024
