A screen grab shows Riot delivering his speech in Parliament.
KUCHING (Feb 22): The recent parade of youths in medieval Islamic war costumes while carrying replica weapons could cause tensions in the country if not contained, said Serian MP Dato Sri Richard Riot Jaem.
He called on the government to prevent such events from happening again in Malaysia, which is a plural society comprising people of different races and religions.
“As one of those seniors in Parliament, having served for eight consecutive terms, I feel called to bring up about an incident which has now gone viral, whereby a political party in a state in the peninsula used replica weapons replicating medieval soldiers.
“For me, as ‘orang lama’ in this august House and a peace-loving citizen of our beloved country Malaysia, this incident for me personally makes me feel scared to be very frank. Because if this is not contained, it can create tensions,” he said in his debate speech in support of the Royal Address in the Dewan Rakyat last night.
A shouting match then ensued following this remark, with Jasin MP Zulkifli Ismail from Perikatan Nasional (PN) interrupting Riot’s speech.
Ipoh Timur MP Howard Lee, Sungai Petani MP Mohammed Taufiq Johari, and Jelutong MP RSN Rayer stood in defence of Riot, calling for his views as a senior MP to be respected.
In calming down the situation, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Seri Johari Abdul also called on MPs to respect Riot as a senior even if they did not agree with his views.
“When an MP who has served for eight terms expresses his feelings, all of us listen. Whether we agree or not, that is another story. But at least respect him; give him time to speak,” said Johari.
Riot then continued to share his views on the parade, which occurred in Terengganu last week.
“I have sat in the Parliament since 1990. I rarely speak, but when I speak, there is great meaning why I do it,” said the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) lawmaker.
He also pointed out he did not name the political party involved in the controversial event.
“To me, ‘siapa makan cili, siapa rasa pedas’ (he who eats chilli, feels the heat),” he said, referring to an old Malay proverb, which means the one responsible will feel the heat.
The parade in Setiu last week saw Terengganu PAS youth members clad in medieval Islamic war costumes and armed with fake swords, spears, and shields.
On another matter, Riot said he hopes an MP from the Bidayuh community — of which he is a member — will be part of the unity government’s Cabinet.
He said the Bidayuh community is the fourth largest ethnic group in Sarawak and would like to represented in the federal Cabinet just like other communities.
“The Bidayuh have three MPs namely for Serian, Puncak Borneo, and Mas Gading. In a government that is inclusive, it would it be a nice if the Bidayuh community can be a member of the Cabinet,” he added.
According to him, the formation of a unity government as decreed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to ensure political stability is welcomed by Sarawakians, who also felt honoured that Petra Jaya MP Dato Sri Fadillah Yusof became the first Sarawakian appointed deputy prime minister.
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