The Dewan Rakyat sitting took a comical twist when opposition lawmakers trained their guns on Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok's suggestion to plant bamboo as an alternative to oil palm.

The MPs quizzed her deputy Shamsul Iskandar if the government was serious about this.

Shahidan Kassim (BN-Arau) quipped that a board be formed to oversee the bamboo plantation and suggested that it be called Lembaga Buluh Negara (National Bamboo Board).

He added that the acronym would be "Lembu", which means cow in Bahasa Malaysia.

Responding to this, Shamsul had the House in stitches when he replied: "I agree. The ministry can propose that you are appointed as the first chairperson of Lembu.”

On a serious note, the deputy minister said the government viewed bamboo as a commodity with potential...