I refer to the Malaysiakini report Bung Moktar pleads guilty to unauthorised polygamy .

I read with horror the above report that the member of Parliament for Kinabatangan Bung Mokhtar Radin pleaded guilty to the charge of committing polygamy without consent of the syariah courts.

For a federal lawmaker such as Bung Mokhtar to so blatantly and gleefully flout the law, makes a mockery of his elected position and by extension, the democratic institutions that he is publically mandated to uphold.  

Did Bung Mokthar think he could get away with it? Or perhaps he figured the pitiful fine was no sweat off his back.  

Malaysia does not need more lawmakers like Bung Mokhtar who disrespect the law and also, disrespect women.

To refresh memories, this MP was responsible for the bocor sexist remark in Parliament in 2007, and is a notorious repeat offender.

In a context of fading public faith in the quality of so many of our elected officials, this does not help the cause of restoring some much needed credibility to parliament.

Bung Mokhtar should explain to his constituents and the tax-paying public how is it that he decided to ignore the law and take another wife illegally.  

How long more do Malaysians have to put up with this kind of behaviour from parliamentarians?