'This is like pouring petrol over fire. Pakatan will now use this to further amplify the injustices of BN. This is really silly when BN is trying so hard to gain support from the rakyat.'

Anwar and 3 others banned for six months

Ghkok: This is the result of 53 years of one-party rule. It breeds arrogance and oppression. It is like a disease. There is no respect for members of parliament who are legitimately elected by the rakyat, and who have brought up a legitimate issue in Parliament (where it should be brought up).

People may disagree with Anwar Ibrahim but it is his job to bring up issues in Parliament. BN's response however is nothing short of tyranny. The suspension is like slapping the face of the hundreds of thousands of voters who have voted for these MPs.

The long-term solution for our country is a two-party system where Pakatan Rakyat and BN compete equally in an oppression-free arena to form the federal government, like in US and UK.

Under that scenario, would BN have unjustifiably suspended the opposition MPs, knowing that voters will vote Pakatan to form the next government? Most likely not. Thus one-party rule must be ended, Pakatan must form the next federal government to cement the two-party system.

Mat: It is a disgrace. From the Parliament to the executive, civil service, police and the courts - all are corrupt, without principles and devoid of morals. Malaysia will go one way, and that is down the slippery slope to the abyss.

Saengch: Thanks BN, for giving (1) the junior parliamentarians more opportunities to toughen themselves, (2) more time for Anwar et al to warm up the campaign trail for the obviously coming GE, (3) more injustices to outrage the electorate. When heaven wants to destroy BN, there is really no shortage to its self-destructive madness.

Habib RAK: It is utterly stupid of BN to ban prominent leaders of Pakatan, namely Anwar, Karpal Singh, Azmin Ali and R Sivarasa over a silly matter. This is like pouring petrol over fire. Pakatan will now use this as an excellent working capital to further amplify the injustices of BN. This is really silly when BN is trying so hard to gain support from the rakyat.

Adcin: So what if 1Malaysia is not the same as One Israel as Anwar claims? It's not as if he is accusing someone of murder, is it? Do you need to suspend him? This is a big, big mistake, and to top it off, Anwar was not allowed to defend himself. The BN is telling us that the right to defence is not guaranteed when they rule the country.

Neutralist: Saya dan keluarga adalah pengundi atas pagar dan tak sabar lagi menunggu PRU 13 kerana insiden pergantungan wakil rakyat yang berlaku diParlimen pada hari ini memudahkan kami sekeluarga membuat keputusan untuk memilih parti mana layak membentuk kerajaan.

Anonymous: I am no Pakatan supporter but this episode angered me. The ruling party simply bulldoze over the right of others to being heard without calling for their defence. It means they find you guilty and pass judgement without even listening to your side of the story. This is democracy and justice?

The speaker is another BN puppet, next to useless. I guess the way he (Pandikar Amin Mulia) acted, my three-year-old son can also be speaker. Though I am no lover of Pakatan, I and my family and relatives will give our votes to Pakatan to punish this arrogant BN government. We had enough of this nonsense.

Sarawakian: Anwar, don't take it lying down. Go on a roadshow to tell the rakyat that Najib and his sycophants are no longer fit to run the country. What they are doing in Parliament is a total disgrace and should not be condoned. We will support you all the way. This is an opportunity to tell the rakyat why BN is unfit for office.

Devan: I don't get it. Anwar made the ‘One Israel' claim, proved it by showing contracts with Apco and Apco's links to Israel, and he got suspended for highlighting the obvious. It just doesn't make sense. Nothing much in Malaysia makes sense anyway.

Ruckus in and outside Parliament over suspension

RR: ‘Shame! Shame!' say the children of Malaysia for this abuse of parliamentary system. Rules are made for the good conduct of meetings. They are not to be abused for one's advantage. These leaders who abused the system bring nothing but shame and a very bad example to our children who are future leaders of this country.

The speaker should ask his conscience whether he was right or wrong for having brought shame to the august House.

Albert: "Anwar refers to Hansard records quoting the speaker as saying that he would be given the opportunity to defend himself at the rights and privileges committee meeting. And the speaker said: ‘I was just a chair of the rights and privileges committee... I didn't vote. The motion was brought to the committee to vote on the letter (from Apco). There was a motion from the committee member, saying that there was no need to listen to the defence. The letter was good enough. And then, I put it to vote. That was all. I didn't vote in the committee.'"

But that is not the point. Pandikar Amin should just admit that he is not a man of integrity when he (as the speaker) did not keep his promise to Anwar when he chaired the privileges committee meeting. Is it morally and ethically right, especially for the speaker of Parliament?

AkuMelayu: If you acted like monkeys, the Parliament is not the place for you. Anwar leads the way. Walk them to the zoo. There's ample space for them in the monkey cage. That's where they belong.

Pemerhati: Punishing Anwar, who is the leader of the opposition (which garnered 49 percent of the votes), with six months' suspension without even hearing what he had to say in his defence is a travesty of justice. The suspension of the other opposition parliamentarians, who rightly protested this terrible travesty, is despicable.

This action by BN clearly shows that they have no sense of fair play and justice and absolute contempt for the parliamentary system of government. As things stand now, the BN leaders and their cronies can steal as much as they like (through negotiated contracts, unnecessary arms purchases, etc), detain, imprison and kill anyone with impunity (eg, Anwar, Teoh Beng Hock, Aminulrasyid Amzah, A Kugan, Altantuya Shaariibuu, etc) and no one can do anything about it.

The only opportunity to change things for the better will come at the next general elections.

Hidup Rakyat: The day has come for all the rakyat to said to the BN government that we want our voice heard. This country belongs to all Malaysians, not Umno or BN.

No one has the right to take away our freedom to speak and even walk on the street. And why did the police stop them from walking to Suhakam in broad daylight? What has our country turned into?

The BN is still arrogant despite losing their two-thirds majority and five state plus the Federal Territories. If they survive another round of elections, we will be doom. Think about your children future. What kind of environment do we want them to grow up?

Jiminy Qrikert: It is just absolutely wonderful that BN does not have two-thirds majority in Parliament. For as long as the rakyat have a true voice in Parliament vis the opposition MPs, there will always be pandemonium to rival that of some of our Asian neighbours with their famous riots in the august house.

These clashes will be inevitable as the government is led by a thug who has no sense of decency, decorum and self-respect to rise to the occasion and defend his own honour in face of blatant challenges that question his status, integrity and honour. Instead, he uses every possible twisted, corrupt and dishonest method to deflect the accusations.

Likewise, his lackeys and lapdogs are doing the same in denying DSAI (Anwar Ibrahim) a fair, open and honest hearing. The most despicable part of this is that they, having learnt from their master, are doing it openly and blatantly in Parliament, in full view of the rakyat and the world.

Kenneth: Well, it shows that those leaks from WikiLeaks are true - Malaysia is run by incompetent politicians.

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