KOTA BARU: The assembly sitting here on Wednesday turned chaotic when speaker Datuk Abdullah Ya'kub suspended state opposition leader Datuk Nozula Mat Diah for refusing to sit during the debate session.
Nozula was staging a protest over allegedly not being given a chance to speak.
The incident occurred at about 11.20am when state Public Wellbeing, Health, Environment and Non-Governmental Organisations committee chairman Dr Ramli Mamat was winding up his debate on the state Budget 2018.
Nozula’s protest also prompted all Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen to leave the sitting.
In defending his action to suspend the state opposition leader, Abdullah said he had already given the opportunity for ten assemblymen to debate the Budget since yesterday.
He said six of them were from Pas, three were from BN and another was from Parti Amanah Negara (PAN).
"I asked (Nozula) to leave the assembly sitting after he was found to have breached the assembly's regulation for disturbing the debate session," he said.
Meanwhile, Nozula said he and other BN assemblymen were really upset over the incident.
"As an opposition leader, I should be given the chance to speak during the session, but (the speaker) refused to allow me to do so.
"I believe I have the right to do so, because I am also representing my (constituents)," said the BN-Paloh assemblyman.
Speaking at a press conference after the session, Nozula said that Kelantan BN will send a memorandum to the party's higher leaders, as well as to the Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob over the incident.
"We plan to send a letter to the Menteri Besar this Sunday to protest against the bad attitude of the speaker," he added.