KUALA LUMPUR: A question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat turned chaotic when Datuk Halimah Mohd Sadique (Tenggara-BN) refused to answer supplementary questions by Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak).
Azmin had asked Halimah, who is Deputy Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister, whether her ministry was working with the Finance Ministry and Bank Negara Malaysia to review guidelines imposed on housing loans and credit control, as more than 60 per cent of buyers in Selangor had failed to obtain loans for affordable units.
Halimah who had just finished providing answers to a question raised by Datuk Linda Tsen Thau Lin (Batu Sapi-BN) on People Housing Project units or PPR, said Azmin had gone off tangent by broaching affordable homes.
PPR is a project to provide homes for the hardcore poor.
Halimah, who had to speak in between Azmin's interjections, pointed out that the Selangor menteri besar had gotten his topics mixed up.
"Yang Berhormat (Azmin) should understand the questions related to PPR. I am talking PPR, as raised by Batu Sapi, and I will no entertain the questions raised by you.
"I had only mentioned PPR and not affordable homes. Please listen carefully," she said.
Azmin had insisted to raised issues on affordable home loans but continued to be denied by Halimah, who stood her ground to only answer questions listed in the order paper.
Datuk Dr Makin Mojigoh (Putatan-BN) and Datuk Shamsul Anwar Nasarah (Lenggong-BN) joined the fray and told Azmin to sit down.
The verbal fracas was however hushed by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, who told Halimah and Azmin to end their spat.
Reporting by Syed Umar Ariff, Rohaniza Idris, Idris Musa, Nur Lela Zulkipli, Suhael Adnan, and Siti Nur Mas Erah Amran.