Perak assemblyman makes a meaty argument

Why did the chicken cross the floor? Or rather - as security officials in the Malaysian state of Perak must be asking - how did it get in?

Legislator Muhamad Arafat Varisai Mahamad ruffled a few feathers at a State Assembly sitting when he produced the chicken in the chamber, though it looked plucked and ready for the pot.

He was speaking about poultry prices when he dramatically pulled the bird out of a plastic bag.

“I am forced to bring this chicken here because nothing has been done about the rising prices of poultry,” he said.

He was later reprimanded by the Speaker of the Assembly.

“I would like to stress that what happened during yesterday’s debate session should not be repeated,” the Speaker, Datuk Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid, was quoted as saying the following day.

He reportedly asked security officials to be more rigorous when checking what was brought into the chamber.

But he did not miss the lighter side of it. “I hope that no one would want to bring goats or cows to today’s sitting,” he said.

Other members of the house had also joked about it, with one asking the Hulu Kinta representative to go and cook rendang with the bird.