Brickbats to the absent Pakatan MPs

YOURSAY 'There should be no excuses from Pakatan MPs to be absent from Parliament for the crucial Prevention of Crime Act vote.'

No surprises, Dewan Rakyat passes PCA amendments

Kim Quek: There is a news blackout of the intense debate and passing of the changes to the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA) in the mainstream media, including Sin Chew Daily, which has been glaringly obscuring in the past week, the strong protests put up by Pakatan Rakyat, the Bars in Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak, and NGOs.

There is an obvious conspiracy between the BN government and the mainstream media to hoodwink the public into accepting this draconian amendment by hiding its obnoxious content on the one hand and frightening the public with concocted and exaggerated tales of the triads and crime syndicates about to overrun this country on the other.

The passing of this bill, which resurrects the antiquated, dictatorial and unconstitutional Internal Security Act and Emergency Ordinance, also marks a new phase of our democratisation struggles, as PM Najib Razak's political play with his so-called transformation officially comes to an end.

Odin: The revised PCA has had to be passed in order to - ahem! - transform it into an impenetrable, intangible barricade against any attempted breach to expose mainly misdeeds that will consign the villains to the gallows or, at least, long-term imprisonment.

Murder, high treason and massive larcenies such as are related to the acquisition of the Scorpene submarines are at the top of the list of the nefarious, heinous acts committed by those despicably depraved maggots on two legs.

Fairplayer: What happened to the other 23 opposition MPs? Why are they not voting against the PCA amendments?

And why must MCA and Gerakan toe the line? Why must the Borneo BN MPs also toe the line without weighing the evil implications of/for such a tyrannical law to be passed?

With that ‘new' law passed, are we going to see vocal Malaysians arrested and detained without trial for two years or more?

We shall watch and see if the first people to be put behind bars under PCA would be right-minded vocal Malaysians or real dangerous crooks/criminals/terrorists. Any sign of injustice through the PCA shall render the 115 MPs who voted for the bill guilty of gross injustice to humanity.

Apa Ini?: And now for the abuses to come! Arrests will be made of 'criminals' as defined by Putrajaya.

PM Najib Razak, you have made a mockery of the withdrawal of the ISA under which detainees can be detained without charge for up to 60 days. The ISA is a 'breeze' compared to the 'PCA tsunami'. Malaysians should wear black armbands to mourn the death of justice in our country.

Wira: I am utterly disgusted. In 2018, may the PCA be used against the mafia and thieves from BN. It's easier to just lock them up for up to five years instead of having to go through the rigours of proof in court. Natural justice will then be served.

Anonymous #44199885: We are not at war nor is there an emergency demanding such a law. Further they should restructure and restore the professionalism of the police, made all the more urgent with the auditor-general's findings that they lost vehicles and incredibly 44 firearms in a country that has very restricted access to firearms.

Abasir: I truly believe this Act is Najib's way of muzzling dissent and any form of criticism including the comments on the criminal abuse of public funds described in the Auditor-General's Report.

Any criticism may be declared an act of incitement, especially by an inspector-general of police (IGP) who loses guns, handcuffs and cars.

Angelababy: By the way, is Malaysia still under emergency?

Pakatan MPs slammed for absence during PCA vote

KB Menon: There should be no excuses from Pakatan MPs to be absent from Parliament for the crucial PCA vote. You must stand in solidarity, if for nothing else, whether win or lose.

How sure are you that all BN MPs will be present or vote for it (though they are expected to toe the BN line). Brickbats to the absent Pakatan MPs and kudos to those who were present and fought tooth and nail against it.

Real Truth: We know it is the numbers game - 133 is bigger than 89. But that is not the point. Everyone should have been in Parliament for the vote, even if they failed to achieve the desired result.

The point is that as an MP, you are elected and paid to represent me and other citizens to defend my point of view and those 23 who did not attend have not done what they promise to do and should be penalised by a voluntary paycut.

Malaysian Born: Come on, wake up and smell the coffee. It really matters how you perform. It is time to take each vote seriously.

The luxury of numbers is not on your side so having 23 members absent is entirely unacceptable. The timing may have been sudden but it was clear that it was imminent so less those traveling on official business or unwell, the absence was a strategic mistake.

It takes away from the credibility and substance of their stand, especially on such a significant and far reaching issue as this. Some real soul searching and correction is needed in this case. This reflects badly on the opposition regardless of how much worse it reflects on the ruling party.

Puttu Samai: The Parliament is in session for a mere 51 days from June 24, 2013 to Dec 31, 2013. There's simply no excuse for Pakatan MPs to be absent during this short period.

All other businesses can be scheduled outside these 51 days. Get your priority straight. Even though the final tally of 115 BN votes would have overwhelmed all Pakatan MPs is beside the point.

Pakatan represents a more responsible political entity. That's why it won 51 percent of the popular vote. Indeed, that's why the majority of the people support you.

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