The Dewan Rakyat reconvened today on a noisy note, with temperatures soaring over a controversial article that appeared on the DAP website recently.

The article on the struggle for Medeka, which had ruffled many feathers in Umno, saw Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang locking horns twice with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz this morning.

The sitting started on a placid note with Lim asking if Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would support the establishment of three parliamentary select committees -on national integrity, higher education and international trade and industry.

Replying, Nazri said the government had only agreed to form the national integrity committee for now and that a motion would be tabled during the parliamentary session.

Round One

In a supplementary question, Lim pressed Nazri on why the government would not agree to the other two committees as there were many pending issues involving the two areas.

An irked Nazri retorted, "If every issue raised requires a select committee, then perhaps we also need to discuss that (former Communist Party of Malaya secretary-general) Chin Peng is DAP's father of independence."

Lim, who appeared stung by the remark, then demanded that the minister withdraw his assertion.

He also said that the article, written by DAP international bureau secretary Ronnie Liu, does not contain such a statement.

Amid heckling and verbal salvos from parliamentarians on both sides, Lim said Nazri should be referred to the parliamentary privileges committee to face disciplinary action.

"I won't retract my statement, if you want to refer (me to the privileges committee), refer- lah ... Okay, I won't mention it again that Chin Peng is DAP's independence father," he said to the laughter and applause of Barisan Nasional parliamentarians.

The minister also stressed that he was entitled to make the remark because of 'freedom of speech'.

Chow Kon Yeow (DAP-Tanjong) tabled a motion to ask Nazri to withdraw the statement, but the motion was voted out.

Round Two

Just when everyone thought the dust had settled, Mohd Razali Che Mamat (BN-Kuala Krai) popped a question to Nazri on the effectiveness of independence day celebrations.

The minister claimed that in certain DAP-controlled constituencies the celebrations were ineffective as people there did not even fly the national flag.

Once again, Lim saw red and described Nazri's statement as "dangerous" for implying that DAP constituencies and its parliamentarians were not patriotic.

The veteran politician said such remarks would not help foster national unity.

Responding, Nazri said the DAP 'propaganda chief' Liu had been the first to stir up racial sentiments with his article.

"I am just responding. Who told (Liu) to write the article questioning the role of the real independence fighters while we are celebrating Merdeka?" he asked.

Last week, Umno Youth retaliated against the article by posting a cartoon which suggested that DAP leaders were Communist. The opposition party has lodged a police report.