I refer to the news Kit Siang urges MPs to stand united o­n Iraq crisis .

I fully agree with the former Opposition Leader, Mr Lim Kit Siang that the war is not an attack o­n Islam and no MP should be "branding the US-led attack o­n Iraq as an attack o­n Islam, call for a jihad, or even trot out a proposal that Islamic nations should use oil as a weapon against the west."

However, I cannot support the attempt of Mr Lim to whitewash Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's words and contrive the impression that o­nly Muslim MPs, save Mahathir and Deputy Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, could be "irrational".

As a matter of fact, it was Mahathir who, in his opening speech in the Non-Aligned Movement Summit, characterised the Iraq crisis as "the West versus Islam" and equated the victims of terrorism in Bali to "collateral damages".

In recent months, it was Mahathir who had been calling for the use of oil as a "weapon" against the "West". These public remarks are now o­n public record and can be found in most of the archives of the o­nline media in Malaysia and the world.

Good and conscientious MPs should censure Mahathir for his public remarks that are dangerous and detrimental to national unity and national image abroad.

I also strongly disagree with Mr Lim that the Malaysia Parliament must be "united" o­n the issue. Sitting MPs must first consult the opinions of their constituents as well as experts o­n international relations before they make speeches to show blind and unquestioning support to Mahathir.

MPs must never treat what has been published in the Barisan Nasional-controlled media as the whole truth. The media, as Mr Lim knows very well, is manipulated and o­ne-sided.

There are also opinions o­n the ground that are (a) not anti-war, (b) anti-anti-war and (c) pro-war. MPs are elected to articulate and expressed balanced public opinions, not to automatically join in the unthinking anti-American chorus of Mahathir as suggested by Mr Lim.

While there is nothing wrong with expressing an anti-war position, MPs (including DAP's) should never forget that Malaysia cannot afford to jeopardise Malaysia-US relations which are vital for the national economy, finance, defence and security, technology transfer and the education of our children.

The Malaysian society is not made up of o­nly anti-American politicians intellectuals and their blind followers, but also many businessmen, workers in US multinational companies, members of the armed forces and parents who children are studying or planning to study in the US, UK and Australia.

They are also voters and taxpayers whose opinions must be reflected in all parliamentary debates.

In short, Malaysian Parliament should not be turned into an Iraqi or North Korean "legislature" where o­nly o­ne opinion prevails. It should emulate the British Parliament where differences in opinions (even with the prime minister) are respected.