Sunday, April 24, 2011
Azhar back to Penang assembly Friday
State opposition leader Datuk Azhar Ibrahim will be allowed to return to the legislative assembly sitting from this Friday when his six-month suspension ends.
Speaker Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain said Azhar is still the opposition leader and would be free to take part in the proceeding.
Azhar (BN-Penaga) was suspended from the sitting for six months after the assembly's Rights and Privileges Committee found him to have violated the standing order by uttering seditious words during a heated argument with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng during last May's sitting.
In December 2009, Azhar who is also state Umno liaison secretary, had also been suspended from the assembly over the "show buttocks" incident, prompting all the Barisan Nasional assemblymen to leave the hall.
Azhar refused to apologise over the alleged showing of his buttocks to Sim Tze Tzin (PKR-Pantai Jerjak) on Dec 2, 2009, saying the matter had been misinterpreted.
Abdul Halim said the assembly sitting this time was scheduled to run for five days after the official opening by Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas on Friday morning.
"After the opening, the sitting will be adjourned and continue on Tuesday as Monday is a replacement public holiday for Workers Day which falls on Sunday," he said.