I refer to the the suspension of the MIC secretary-general S Sothinathan from the cabinet for 'breaking ranks'.

Sothinathan can count himself lucky that he got away with just a three-month suspension. If the hawks in Umno had got their way, he may well have been sacked from the cabinet. Nevertheless, I fully support Sothinathan action in letting fly in Parliament over the Crimea State Medical University issue .

Sometimes one must go with ones' instinct and stand up for what one believes is right. Sothinathan may have completely destroyed his political career but that is the price one must be prepared to pay for standing up for the truth.

Those with children in CSMU will not forget Sothinathan action in asking for explanation over the issue. The fact that the rest of the cabinet stood by quietly while the deputy health minister fibbed his way through the issue speaks volume about the self-preservation instinct of the various cabinet minters.

Sothinathan may have started a trend. Maybe our political scene is changing after all with members of parliament no longer content to keep quiet when there seems to be clear nonsense being perpetuated by the government. I would like to see more of this.

Sadly, many seem to have missed the antics of the 'court jester' aka Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Aziz. The fact is, the speaker of the House on that day should have ordered him out of Parliament for ungentlemanly conduct.

While, I believe that both Sothinathan and Pak Lah have come out of this affair with their prides intact, the ones who should be ashamed of their appalling conduct in Parliament should be the 'juvenile' and Deputy Health Minister Dr Latiff Ahmad.

I'm sure they will look back on that day in shame. How will they explain themselves to their children?

And with regards to the CSMU issue, our Constitution clearly says that any form of discrimination is not allowed. I would strongly suggest that the aggrieved parents take the Malaysian Medical Council and the Health Ministry to court if they feel the de-recognition of CSMU was made on prejudiced grounds.

Let MMC divulge in court what the shortcomings of the CSMU are. Let the de-recognition be supported by researched facts and figures compiled in a transparent manner.