Azhar upbeat he won't be found guilty
State Opposition leader Azhar Ibrahim is confident that the Penang legislative assembly rights and privileges committee, which is due to meet next week over his alleged sedition case, cannot pin any wrongdoing on him.
State Opposition leader Azhar Ibrahim is confident that the Penang legislative assembly rights and privileges committee, which is due to meet next week over his alleged sedition case, cannot pin any wrongdoing on him.
Azhar (right), who is Penaga (BN) assemblyperson, told Malaysiakini that he had done nothing wrong, and does not expect a guilty verdict from the six-member committee.
"There is no issue there, so what is there to discuss? " said Azhar to Malaysiakini at Hotel Equatorial, Penang, before the BN breakfast meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday.
"There is not even a technical issue," he stressed, laughing when told that the committee had a three-hour meeting over his case on Jun 7.
The closed-door meeting did not invite Azhar to state his defence and did not arrive at a decision.
Azhar confirmed that he was not invited to the meeting and only found out about it through media reports.
The members of the committee are Jasmin Mohammad (BN-Sungai Dua), Shahabudin Yahya (BN-Teluk Air Tawar), Jahara Hamid (BN-Teluk Air Tawar), Tan Cheong Heng (DAP-Padang Lallang), S Raveentharan (PKR-Batu Uban) and Lau Keng Ee (DAP-Pengkalan Kota).
Magnet for controversy
Speaker Abdul Halim Hussain, who chaired the first meeting, told the media yesterday that the committee will hold a second meeting on Azhar a week later.
Abdul Halim said the team will deliberate on a number of issues, which may probably see Azhar suspended from the next sitting.
This possibility, however, is only a recommendation, as it is the legislative assembly which has the power to take action against Azhar, added Abdul Halim.
The Penaga assemblyperson is facing the powerful committee for allegedly uttering seditious remarks during last month's state assembly session.
Azhar made the comments in the May 6 sitting during Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's (right) winding up of the debate on the motion of thanks to Governor Abdul Rahman Abbas.
Azhar, who is State Umno secretary, is no stranger to controversy.
He was once ejected from the House when he refused to retract a derogatory statement against Malay Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state assemblypersons whom he accused of neglecting the interests of the Malays.
He has also been suspended before, for allegedly ‘showing his behind' at last year's state assembly sitting.
