The highest 'court' in the country was in commotion today as opposition members of Parliament sought unsuccessfully to strike out an unprecedented order to suspend DAP Fong Po Kuan for six months without pay.

It was the first time in parliamentary history that an MP was stripped of his or her pay.

Mohd Yusof Nor (PAS - Machang) argued that to deprive an MP's pay, prior approval must be obtained from the Finance Ministry, which is stated in the parliamentary standing order.

He also added that Fong's case should first be referred to the Parliament's Committee of Privileges.

However, Yusof's request was dismissed by deputy speaker Muhammad Abdullah who insisted that the motion, which was moved by de facto Law Minister Rais Yatim on behalf of the prime minister, was open for debate.

Fong, who is MP for Batu Gajah, was said to have "brought down the dignity of the House" by accusing speaker Mohamed Zahir Ismail for "abusing his power" and "obstructing Parliament from carrying out its duties".

The 27 year-old MP - the youngest in the House - took the veteran speaker to task when her motion to debate the recent Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) debacle was dismissed in chambers.

Biased treatment

During the debate, the opposition unanimously agreed that the proposed punishment was too "harsh".

Kamaruddin Jaffar (PAS - Tumpat) said that Fong should not be condemned or pronounced guilty before an investigation was carried out on her behaviour.

"Is this how you treat a 'dhimmi' (non-Muslim) in an Islamic state in the month of Ramadan?" queried Kamaruddin, who couldn't resisting taking a stab at the government for its controversial booklet explaining its version of Islamic state that described non-Muslims as dhimmi .

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Fadzil Noor (PAS - Pendang) said that the government must not 'abuse' its majority in the House to punish Fong.

"If the same principles were used, Rais should apologise to the House speaker and be suspended for saying that he (speaker) was not privy to the procedures to appoint an attorney-general."

Last month, Rais said that the speaker was not privy to government's procedures to appoint new AG Abdul Gani Patail.

Fong, who was the last to speak, said she had no intention to insult any party. She said she was merely raising issues which were of public interest.

She refused to apologise, and said she was a person of principles who had a 'backbone'.

She lamented that Parliament had become like a "school for children" as it did not function as it should.

Lighter sentence

Meanwhile, Barisan Nasional MPs agreed unanimously that Fong should apologise for her mistakes.

Napsiah Omar (BN - Kuala Pilah) said that Fong, who is a lawyer by profession, should be aware of parliamentary procedures.

She said the speaker's role in the House was "supreme" and that Fong had tarnished the good name of the Dewan.

"Fong should learn from her mistakes," said Napsiah, who however suggested an unspecified lighter sentence for the 27 year-old MP.

Jamaluddin Jarjis (BN- Rompin) asked whether Fong had intended to gain political mileage when she made her grouses against the speaker to the press.

"Does she have a political agenda or was she merely directed by the party?" he queried, questioning whether the matter could be resolved with an apology.

Ho Seong Chang (BN - Kluang) said human beings were prone to make mistakes and urged Fong to apologise.

Ho said many MPs were also concerned about the tampered CLP result issue raised by Fong but advised the affected students to voice their grouses through a proper channel.

A warning to all MPs

Mahadzir Mohamad Khir (BN - Sungai Petani) said the prime minister's motion merely demanded an apology from Fong.

"Action will only be taken if she did not apologise. What is wrong in doing that? I, too, admit behaving unreasonably," he said.

While winding up the debate, Rais said MPs have acted in an unbecoming manner in the House and should be warned not to do so in the future.

He said it was most unfair for Fong to accuse the speaker of "abusing his powers" when he (speaker) had approved many motions in the past.

The House eventually voted 83 to 28 in favour of suspending Fong for six months without pay and allowances.