A member of parliament has suggested that all opposition representatives who did not attend yesterday's sitting of Parliament should be punished.

   

Azalina Othman Said (BN-Pengerang) said this is to

teach them a lesson for being unprofessional and selfish.

   

"These are not examplary elected representatives. They are purportedly unhappy with the court's decision (in convicting Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy)," she said in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

"It is like cutting of the nose to spite the face."

All 89 opposition MPs did not attend the sitting in protest of the five-year jail sentence imposed on Anwar last Friday.

  

Noor Ehsanuddin Mohd Harun Narrashid (BN-Kota Tinggi) said their absence was a "rape of democracy" by ignoring the mandate given to them by the people.

   

"If it is true they boycotted the sitting to go to Kajang (to support the PKR candidate's nomination for the by-election), we urge the people of Kajang to boycott them for failing to carry out their duties," he said.

Ermiyanti Shamsuddin (BN-Masjid Tanah) said she was shocked by the absence of the oppositon MPs, regarding this as shameful and bad example to the young.

  

"If attending the nomination in Kajang was given as the excuse, I was there. But not many of them were there. So, where were they actually? Maybe still wrapped up in their blankets," she said.

Met at the lobby, Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Husni Hanadzlah said that, by right, they should have high morals in matching the trust of voters.

"The charge in court is between him (Anwar) and the individual who

prosecuted him, but why boycott the sitting? What is the relevance? Clearly, they don't respect the law," he added.

   

Deputy Human Resources Minister Ismail Abd Mutalib said the

opposition was not only direspectful to the sanctity of Parliament, but also insensitive as the search for the missing MAS aircraft goes on.

However, the absence of all the opposition MPs gave the opportunity for more government MPs to submit supplementary questions during the Question session.

 

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was on hand to answer questions put to him.

Four questions from opposition MPs could not be submitted because they were not present.

-- Bernama