Noh Omar: Do you support homosexuality?
Tanjong Karang MP Noh Omar asks opposition MPs whether they support homosexuality, which caused an uproar in the house.
Alyaa Azhar, FMT
Parliamentarians today got entangled in a war of words over the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issue after Tanjong Karang MP Noh Omar insinuated that the opposition is in support of it.
While debating the amendments to the Securities Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), Noh also accused the opposition of being involved with the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs (Comango) in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on human rights.
Comago which is in Geneva for the human rights review, had urged the government to endorse Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) rights or LGBT rights, among other demands.
Noh then said that Comango is there to also propagate things like free sex.
Baya Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin interjected saying that Noh should focus on other human rights issues such as abuse on migrant workers and human trafficking.
Noh then asked Sim if he would like it if a man had sex with another man.
At this point, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar stood up and Noh immediately asked her whether she supports sodomy or not, alluding to her father, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy case.
This brought an uproar from the opposition bench and led Kota Bharu MP Takiyuddin Hassan to bring up a standing order to reprimand Noh for uttering the words.
However, deputy speaker Ronald Kiandee absolved Noh, saying that the latter was only asking a question.
Later at a press conference, Noh defended himself, saying that Comango should not bring up sensitive issues which would go against Islamic teachings.
“Human rights in the West are different than us. There is no need to bring the issues to Geneva, they don’t understand our culture.
