Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs Bung Mokthar Radin and Mohd Said Yusof must be suspended for six months and made to do community service with women's groups.

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang said the cabinet, which will meet tomorrow, must reject the duo's 'fake' apologies and punish them for making sexist remarks.

During the suspension, he added, their allowances for the period must be donated to women's groups.

"It will be a most adverse reflection on the cabinet and government if cabinet ministers endorse the fake apologies by the duo," he said in a press statement today.

Lim also took a swipe at Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil over the matter.

He accused her of "failing to stand up for gender respect, sensitivity and equality in her eagerness to resolve the controversy - even in the form of fake, insincere and dishonest apologies."

"If Shahrizat had not realised that she had been bamboozled by the two BN MPs with their fake apologies, she should have realised it by now in the face of very critical and even hostile public comments at her failure to do justice to repair the grave wrong.

"In the mishandling of the latest instance of sexist outbursts by the two BN MPs in Parliament, Shahrizat is becoming an even bigger issue than Bung Mokthar and Mohd Said," he said.

Final chance

However, Lim said the minister still has got a final chance to redeem herself.

Shahrizat must be frank with the cabinet that the issue is becoming even bigger because of the fake apologies, he added.

The veteran politician said Shahrizat must ask the cabinet to slap the duo with the suspension and make them do community work with women's groups.

The two MPs, who directed their sexist remarks at DAP parliamentarian Fong Po Kuan, have come under intense fire over this.

They later apologised after a meeting with Shahrizat.