S’gor Speaker rejects ‘childish’ Bersatu rep’s request to sit with Opposition

(The Star) – Selangor Speaker Ng Suee Lim will be writing to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia representative Mohd Shaid Rosli to reject his request to be seated with the Opposition during next month’s Selangor State Legislative Assembly meeting.

According to Ng, Shaid’s request to sit with the Opposition because he had a bone to pick with DAP’s central executive committee member Ronnie Liu was childish and uncalled for.

“My advice to him would be to not tarnish the sanctity of the state legislative assembly with cheap dramatics and publicity-seeking stunts,” said Ng.

“He has no basis to request to sit with the Opposition because he has not officially left Bersatu to become an independent,” said Ng on Wednesday (Oct 23).

Since Shaid, who is the assemblyman for Jeram, was still a Pakatan Harapan member, he had no other choice other than to sit with the other state government elected representatives, he added.

Shaid reportedly said he applied to switch his seating arrangement as an act of protest against Liu, who did not respect Pakatan’s highest leadership.

“This is the decision that I have made to sit together with the Opposition in the Selangor State Legislative Assembly meeting, which will begin on November 1,” said Shaid to Sinar Harian on Wednesday (Oct 23).

He, however, stressed that his decision to switch his seat did not mean that he was leaving the party and joining the Opposition.

“We want to show DAP or any Pakatan component parties to not be ‘heroes’ by threatening or challenging Bersatu because we are not afraid of threats.

“Bersatu is a party with dignity. When Umno was in power, we left Umno, so what more Pakatan, which is not that strong, ” he was quoted as saying.

Shaid submitted his application to change his seat to Ng on Wednesday (Oct 23) afternoon at the Selangor State Legislative Assembly building.

Meanwhile, DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke said that Liu would have to face the DAP disciplinary committee over his opinion piece about excluding Bersatu from Pakatan.

In an opinion piece entitled “Mahathir: The Paper Tiger” on Tuesday (Oct 22), Liu wrote that DAP, PKR, Parti Amanah Negara, Parti Warisan Sabah and UPKO could band together and form a government without Bersatu.

“Bersatu may have 26 MPs now, but DAP, PKR, Amanah, Warisan and UPKO collectively have 113 seats in parliament, enough to form a majority, ” he wrote.