BN MPs were up in arms after a former ally told them that they could not raise statements made by Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar in the Dewan Rakyat.

Ahmad Maslan (BN-Pontian) had asked Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah to address the Johor ruler's criticism of the government's decision to ratify the Rome Statute and the claim that it was unconstitutional.

However, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (GPS-Santubong), who was a deputy speaker under the previous BN-controlled Dewan Rakyat, cited Standing Order 36(7) which stated that MPs cannot use a ruler's name to influence the House.