VIDEO | 3:30min

A 20-year-old student has lodged a police report against the Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin today, accusing him of uttering racist remarks during a parliamentary debate.

The student, Prasanth Kumar Brakasam, lodged the police report in Jasin, Malacca, claiming that the outspoken parliamentarian had said that Indians in Malaysia would become robbers if they are not elected as MPs.

“This was a big insult and shame on the Indian people of Malaysia and this statement must not came from the mouth of a leader who represents the people in his constituency and he should be responsible for what he said in the Parliament,” Prasanth said in a separate statement to the media.

The Pertubuhan Sokongan Pemuda Malaysia chairperson said he wants the police to take action against Bung Moktar so that he would retract his statement and apologise.

Prasanth was apparently referring to a heated exchange between Bung Moktar and Kapar MP Manivannan Gowindasamy while debating the Tun Hussein Onn Teacher’s Foundation Bill 2014 on Monday.

Bung Moktar made a reference to the recently-concluded Teluk Intan by-election during his speech, and Manivannan interrupted him to ask how is it relevant to the foundation.

This sparked a slew of insults and name-calling between the two that lasted about three minutes.

While Bung Moktar did not make any reference to Indians in general, some media outlets have reported that he was insinuating that Indians are born robbers.

The Hansard records a part of the argument as follows:

Bung Moktar: Speaker, if this person (Manivannan) did not become an MP, perhaps he will become a robber... (laughs). Look at his character.

Manivannan: Retract that.

Bung Moktar: Look.

Manivannan: Retract that.

Bung Moktar: His character.

Manivannan: What is this? This is in bad faith.

Bung Moktar: If (he) doesn’t become an MP, with behaviour like this he would become a robber. Is this supposed to be portrayed as the face of the youth?

Manivannan: If I am a robber, he (Bung Moktar) is the father of robbers!

Bung Moktar: This is the face of the youth... Face of the youth. So, get out!

Bung Moktar then continued with the debate about the bill.