YOURSAY | ‘If they can't put you away, they can still shut you up.’

Kit Siang suspended six months, BN MPs wave goodbye

Vijay47: To refer to that building at the edges of Kuala Lumpur's Lake Gardens as Parliament is a travesty of democracy because justice, equality, and accountability are the last attributes you will find residing there.

Our Parliament seems to conduct its business through sheer might, where a callous majority, if it can be called a majority boasting only 47 percent, bulldozes its way onto an opposition often fighting to the last man.

So Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang, like many of his colleagues before him, is suspended for six months for pointing out the truth and to hell with the justification for his statement.

To add to the bitterness, MPs from favoured quarters hardly ever suffer punishment of similar severity safe for an occasional rap on the knuckles.

But what can we expect of a Parliament whose speaker seems bent on stymying motions forwarded by the opposition?

What can we expect of a Parliament where the prime minister attends less than 8 percent of the sittings and even then, is unwilling or unable to take questions?

Alfanso: A mere speaker of the House can kick out an elected parliamentarian. What democracy is this?

Onyourtoes: An apology is called for only when we do something regretful or remorseful and not deliberately.

But surely no apology is needed to label someone as stupid, biased and abusive if these are facts.

In fact, Kit Siang should have used even stronger and more degrading terms to suit the person.

RM2.6billion Duit Haram: It's not a victory Umno can be proud of, but more of a shame to them.

In suspending Lim, the speaker has effectively silenced 51 percent of the people's voice. This is the most cowardly act.

PM Najib Abdul Razak should rejoice because he has one intelligent opponent less to contend with in the coming parliamentary session.

Monty: The speaker and other Umno MPs have attended parliamentary sessions in many other countries and would know just how parliament is run. Yet the speaker seemed to have learnt nothing.

Does he not understand that MPs, including opposition MPs, represent tens of thousands of citizens in their constituency?

Suspending Lim deprives the people of Gelang Patah their voice in Parliament. And for what?

Just because he raised questions on 1MDB. A question which the people of Gelang Patah demanded him to raise. Indeed, a question which millions of Malaysians have been asking.

The speaker has just given Malaysians one more reason why we should kick Umno out at the next general election.

And I hope the speaker himself will be out of a job by that time. I am utterly disgusted by the action of all the BN MPs today.

Pemerhati: Anyone whom Najib sees as a threat to his hold on power is ruthlessly eliminated.

In the Parliament, lackeys protect Najib who allegedly stole billions from 1MDB by disallowing questions on the matter or evict members who reveal the truth about 1MDB.

The frightening thing is that Najib now has almost dictatorial powers and he can do anything he likes to anyone and no one can stop him.

Malaysia pretends to have democratic institutions but the reality is that these institutions are under the complete control of a corrupt and kleptocratic regime.

The country now is not very different from the dictatorial and authoritarian countries like Syria, Libya under Muammar Gaddafi, and some of the dictatorial and corrupt regimes in Africa.

Anonymous #70881335: This is a day of shame in Malaysian politics.

Nasib Rosak: When Pakatan Harapan takes over Putrajaya, the posts of House speaker, attorney-general, auditor-general and chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) must be made elected posts, and they must be made fully accountable to Parliament.

The Senate should be abolished because it is filled with deadwood and is a big waste of financial resources. This is the only way to ensure accountability and transparency, and democracy.

Justtruthseeker: Is 1MDB not a matter of public interest and grave public concern, where probe after probe is ongoing but futile as of this point in time?

Anonymous_3f49: If they can't put you away, they can still shut you up.

Anonyxyz: How much respect will you give to a person who threatened to resign unless he is provided with a good toilet?

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