The Dewan Rakyat debate session became heated as Khoo Poay Tiong, a member of parliament from the Pakatan Harapan-Kota Melaka party, made allegations against the son-in-law of former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin during his speech on the 2023 Budget.
Khoo claimed on Tuesday (28 Feb) that Muhyiddin’s son-in-law was involved in several scandals, including the RM7 billion Jana Wibawa project, the RM7 billion flood mitigation project, and the RM1 billion national integrated Immigration system.
In response to the allegations, opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin challenged Khoo to repeat his statement on the Jana Wibawa project and threatened to take legal action.
Muhyiddin denied any involvement in awarding the National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) contract to his son-in-law and stated that he would not hesitate to take legal action against those who accused him of wrongdoing.
He said, “These allegations are heavy, directed towards my family and I. If you say that it has been reported in the papers, we also know that there is fake news out there.”
The corruption allegations have raised concerns among Malaysians about the prevalence of corruption in the country.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is currently investigating the matter, and it remains to be seen what actions will be taken against those involved if the allegations are proven to be true.
Deputy Speaker Alice Lau Kiong Yieng ruled that Khoo retract the part of his statement that implicated Muhyiddin, citing the Dewan Rakyat Standing Order 36(6) on the contents of speeches.
She instructed Khoo to rephrase his statement without mentioning Pagoh, the constituency represented by Muhyiddin, and warned MPs against making slanderous allegations.
In response, Khoo retracted his statement and apologized for any misunderstanding, stating, “I did not mean to defame anyone. I was merely stating what had been reported in the news.”
