DEWAN Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul has asked Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to explain by next Thursday allegations that he misled the House.

In a letter dated Nov 4, Johari said the request followed a motion filed by Chong Zhemin (PH-Kampar) seeking to refer Ahmad Zahid to the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee.

“It is hereby informed that the Member of Parliament for Kampar, Chong Zhemin, submitted a motion dated Nov 3, 2026, requesting that you (Ahmad Zahid) be referred to the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee under Standing Order 36(12) of the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders.

“A copy of the letter by the Kampar MP is enclosed for your attention.

“In this regard, you are requested to provide an explanation on the matter and submit any documents supporting the explanation by Thursday, Nov 12, 2026, at the latest,” Johari said in the letter, which was shared with the media yesterday.

The issue centres on alleged contradictory statements by Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, and Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan over the reallocation of funds for rural development projects.

On Nov 2, Chong raised the matter in the Dewan Rakyat, claiming Ahmad Zahid had previously said that no projects were sacrificed to fund other initiatives through Notices of Change.

However, Chong said this contradicted Amir Hamzah’s explanation that additional allocations for the Rural Road Programme had resulted in reduced funding for other programmes.

Johari subsequently advised Chong to submit a formal motion if he wished to pursue the matter and seek Ahmad Zahid’s referral to the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee.