Muhyiddin removes parliament speaker with slim majority in test of support

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s parliament sitting on Monday (Jul 13) saw the appointment of a new speaker and deputy speaker in the Lower House now controlled by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Half of the 222 Members of Parliament (MP) backed the motion tabled by Mr Muhyiddin to remove Mr Mohamad Ariff Md Yusoff, a retired Court of Appeal judge appointed by the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, as speaker.

A total of 109 others voted against the bid, while one MP was absent. Deputy Speaker Mohd Rashid Hasnon, an MP who is now aligned to PN, is believed to have abstained from voting as he was presiding over the sitting.