PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang hopes that Johor Baharu MP Shahrir Samad will not be disciplined for supporting an opposition motion in Parliament.

Pointing out that Shahrir had acted on principle, Hadi said it was Shahrir's right in a democratic country to resign as chairperson of the Backbenchers Club (BBC) after failing to get the majority of the Barisan Nasional MPs to support the opposition motion.

"In a democratic country, such a thing is normal. My only hope is for him to play an active role in bringing reform to the Malaysian Parliament so that a government party can criticise the government," Bernama quoted him as saying after attending a party function in Kuala Lumpur today.

Abdul Hadi was commenting on Shahrir's resignation after his fellow BN MPs refused to support his stand on a motion moved by opposition leader Lim Kit Siang to bring before the Rights and Privileges Committee an MP who was reported to have interfered in the affairs of the Customs department.

Barisan Nasional whip Najib Tun Razak said he had accepted Shahrir's resignation based on the party stand which forbade BN MPs from supporting an opposition motion.