While Pakatan Rakyat MPs have justified their walkout during the Peaceful Assembly Bill debate yesterday as an act of protest, some have been left frustrated by the move.

NONE Among them are Melissa Loovi, who along with 20 other youngsters had gathered for the ‘Occupy Parliament’ vigil in Jalan Parlimen last night.

"I don't know about all the other registered voters out there, but as someone who has actively supported the opposition, I am very frustrated with my MP and his friends for having walked out. They were not voted in to do this," she said today.**

"The fact that the opposition votes would not have been able to stop the Bill is secondary to me, because they should still stay in the House and register the voice of their constituents, rather than be anywhere else when the Bill is passed.

"Even if the speaker stops them from properly debating the Bill, their very presence in the room is a crucial part of the democratic process of Parliament, which has now been turned into a sham by the lack of respect shown by the members of this House."

Loovi said she had  participated in the ‘Hello MP’ campaign, where voters petitioned their respective MPs to vote against the Bill.

"We contacted the MPs and they said they would vote against the Bill," she said.

Agreeing with her, others felt that the MPs should have pushed their case harder and left the walkout as a last resort.

She also told Malaysiakini that BN MPs are not off the hook, having passed the Bill despite petitions from constituents not to.

"It goes without saying that BN MPs and the cabinet have also let us down terribly, as the way the Bill was rushed through Parliament so quickly is absolutely ridiculous and mocks the public who voted them in," she added.

‘Wake and funeral’

Feeling powerless over its ability to get MPs to vote against the party Whips, the ‘Occupy Parliament’ group has voted to hold a ‘wake and funeral’ over the next two days to symbolise the death of representative democracy.

NONE Its members, who held candles and placards during the vigil, also proposed to work with other civil society groups to call for a constitutional amendment to enable referendums to be conducted on key issues.

"In states like California, if you can get a million signatures from the people, you can change the law," said group moderator Boon Kian Meng.

The group intends to continue protesting the Bill, which will now have to be passed by the Dewan Negara before being gazetted into law.

Its members will gather at KLCC on Saturday, replicating a gathering last Saturday.

** Melissa Loovi contacted Malaysiakini this morning to clarify remarks attributed to her earlier.

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