The government  itself has committed an 'activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy' with its move to bar DAP's Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua from leaving the country.

"The newly-fangled offence of 'activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy' should protect MPs in the discharge of their parliamentary duties.

"Instead, it has become a weapon to cow and intimidate MPs from carrying out their duties," Lim, who is DAP's Gelang Patah MP, said.

Speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, he said it was also unconstitutional to restrict the freedom of an MP.

"Will the inspector-general of police Twitter-direct police officers to start investigating the director-general of immigration, the home minister and the prime minister as to whether they have committed  the offence of an activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy?" Lim asked.

Lim, who is also DAP parliamentary leader, said he would meet Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia on the matter as it refrains Pua from performing his duties as a lawmaker.

"The matter is above party and politics, for this is the about the roles of the lawmakers," he said.

He also criticised Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for taking Malaysia to his Vision 2020 of a "banana republic", which is different from the version of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to make Malaysia a developed nation.

"It is only in a banana republic where the principles of accountabilty, transparence and good governance are totally alien in practice," Lim said.

The prime minister is living in a cuckoo land, he said.

He emphasised that the opposition lawmakers raised the issues on 1MDB  because they love the country and want a better nation.

To a question on whether he is seeing an 'Operation Lallang' (a massive crackdown against the opposition in 1987, under the repealed Internal Security Act) repeat itself, Lim said, "I see the sof a major crackdown in place.

"Whether darkness will descend in the country, it's yet to be seen. But this is something very serious. The country is in a precarious situation, all of sudden."

Government given a week to respond

Pua's lawyer and DAP legal bureau secretary Gobind Singh, who was present, said the party would write to the government to demand an answer as to why the travel ban was issued against Pua.

DAP will give the government a week to respond, Gobind ( photo ) said, adding that Pua wasn't told the reason he was barred from travelling overseas or whether he was being investigated by the police.

Following that, Pua will file for a judicial review to challenge the ban in court, he added.

Barring a lawmaker from leaving the country without reason and purportedly using the provision "activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy" against the MP has set a very dangerous precedent, said Gobind, who is DAP's Puchong MP.

The duties of the MPs include raising issues of concern of the people and exposing them, he said

MPs from the ruling party, Gobind noted, were also exposed to the provision used against Pua, which falls under the Section 124B of Penal Code, as amended in 2012.

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