By Neville Spykerman - The Malaysian InsiderSHAH ALAM, Nov 11 — An emergency motion to overturn the recent arrest of ex-Perlis mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin at the state assembly today was disallowed because the matter was not urgent.
The motion was tabled by PAS lawmaker Saari Sungib who wanted the state assembly to debate the arrest, the conduct of the Selangor Religious Affair Department (Jais) and the need for a licence for Islamic clerics to preach in the state.
Saari, who was present when Asri (picture) was arrested by Jais and policemen on Nov 1, said Asri was treated like a “dangerous criminal” before being released on bail.
The Hulu Kelang assemblyman said Asri, who is a recognised Islamic scholar with a doctorate from the International Islamic University Malaysia, should be released unconditionally.
Saari said the arrest has damaged the credibility of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government as voters expect the coalition to be better that Barisan National (BN) and the matter should be addressed immediately.
Selangor Speaker Teng Chang Khim said for an emergency motion to be considered, it must be specific, be a matter of public interest and urgent.
After considering all the factors, Teng said the motion was specific and a matter of public interest.
However, he said, the matter was not urgent before rejecting the motion.
But this did not stop Azmin Ali from condemning the manner Asri was arrested while debating the Budget.
The Bukit Antarabangsa lawmaker said Asri was treated like a terrorist and the arrest was disgusting.
No comments:
Post a Comment