Gerakan has come under fire for failing to oppose the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) which reintroduces detention without trial despite consistently claiming itself to be the "conscience of BN".

Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming ( left ) pointed out that the party had in a 2013 booklet Gerakan Speak Up even boasted that "Gerakan has been at the forefront of opposing preventive detention and have spoken up against the Internal Security Act, Emergency Ordinance and other draconian laws".

Pota was passed at 2.25am this morning as the government bulldozed the bill, forcing Parliament to suspend its clock to allow debates to go on past midnight.

Liang: Pakatan MPs disrupted me

"It was disgraceful that Gerakan, represented by its president and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mah Siew Keong ( right in photo ) and Simpang Renggam MP, Liang Teck Meng, did not even utter a squeak of protest against Pota which allows for indefinite detention without trial," the DAP lawmaker said in a statement this morning.

Ong said he had even invited Liang to defend Gerakan's position of Pota but the BN MP had merely replied that he was lazy to respond.

"It is highly disappointing that the supposed conscience of the BN could not even be bothered to mount a defence of the controversial Pota bill that allows for indefinite detention without trial," said Ong.

In response, Liang said he was about to express Gerakan’s stance on Pota but was disrupted by Pakatan MPs.

"The opposition MPs were all making an uproar and had refused to listen to my speech no matter how hard I explained. [...]

"I felt it was pointless to respond to someone without sincerity, and therefore declined to comment further on that,” Liang said in a statement.

He also expressed regret that Ong’s time in Gerakan think tank from 2003 to 2004 did not teach him to respect others as Gerakan does.

Ong also criticised MCA for its silence despite lauding the initial abolition of the ISA and the unfulfllled plans to do away with the Sedition Act.

"With the so-called defenders of liberal and democratic values like Gerakan and the MCA in BN, the protection of human rights in Malaysia is facing dark times," he said.