When our hearts are not right, we can say the impossible and justify the unjustifiable. This was what PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang did when he said opposition MPs are not “street protesters” and that they must carry themselves with manners. “Oppose with civility” was what he said when commenting on some MPs carrying placards ‘Mana RM2.6 billion?’ immediately after the PM’s Budget speech.

First, Hadi should not have insulted street protesters. Streets protesters should not be equated with impoliteness or rudeness. Many of the current MPs and even some ministers were street protesters before. To me, carrying placards in the Dewan Rakyat is perfectly legitimate when the roles of MPs have been stifled at every nook and corner.

Why talk about civility when uncivil baloney is swarming the country today? Surely as an MP, Hadi knows how the rules in Dewan Rakyat are played out each day. If his heart is elsewhere and if does not wish to commit to the cause of democracy and better Malaysia, it is better for him to shut up. Those who stood up with placards at the end of PM’s budget speech do not need his lecture or advice on civility.

If Hadi and some of the PAS MPs have chosen to ‘protest’ against the PM by doing ‘nothing’, that, in fact, is a manifestation of who they are and their motivation. There is little need for them to justify their inaction and there is even lesser need for them to comment on others who have chosen to protest differently.

I am not advocating rudeness, but I believe we do know that the boundary of civility is wide. What is so uncivil to carry placards when foul words and vulgar insinuations were uttered by our MPs, ministers and deputy ministers in the Dewan before?

Sometimes the overriding objective is to get the message across regardless of the antics used. The opposition is fighting a losing battle in all fronts. If Hadi can’t be supportive of the little leeway they used, it is better for him to shut up.