KUALA LUMPUR: A parliamentarian has hit out at Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and demanded the Health director-general "to be on the ground" in Sabah to witness the state's dire situation following the major Covid-19 outbreak there.
Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (Gabungan Parti Sarawak-Bintulu) questioned Dr Noor Hisham's efforts in battling the pandemic, lambasting the globally-known doctor for not providing moral support for the frontliners on the ground.
Apart from claiming the frontliners on the ground were unhappy with Dr Noor Hisham, Tiong proceeded to accuse him of being afraid of death.
"Why is he not on the ground? (The situation in) Kota Kinabalu is really bad. The Covid-19 (pandemic) is so bad but he is not there (to look at the situation) in every hospital, or provide moral support to the frontliners.
"His doctors and nurses are already there. Don't just send them (to Sabah). Oh, those people are not afraid of death but the DG (director-general) is. Even the deputy DG is going there."
Tiong also accused Dr Noor Hisham of promoting himself as the next World Health Organisation's (WHO) secretary-general.
"There is no need to garner publicity every day. I heard now that he (Dr Noor Hisham) wants to project himself as the (next) WHO secretary-general. I do not think he is qualified," he said in his speech during the debate on the 2021 Budget.
Several members of parliament protested, with RSN Rayer (Pakatan Harapan-Jelutong) and Ramkarpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor) demanding that Tiong withdrew the remark.
Tiong claimed he was merely conveying the voices of the people and that he was not wrong to ask why Dr Noor Hisham had not visited frontliners on the ground.
Tiong's response prompted a heated argument between MPs of both sides of the divide.
After minutes of a shouting match, Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said then asked Rayer to take his seat as she wanted to make a ruling on remarks made by Tiong on Dr Noor Hisham.
"How am I going to make a ruling if you are standing up? Sit down! Jelutong, sit down!" Azalina said repeatedly while attempting to make her ruling on Tiong's remark.
After her multiple warnings went unheeded, Azalina ordered the sergeant-at-arms to escort Rayer out of the Dewan Rakyat.