Kota Melaka Khoo Poay Tiong (above) said his two-day suspension from Parliament yesterday was the price he had to pay for defending the House order and for standing up to alleged racist insults.

Khoo was among two lawmakers ejected by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof following the brouhaha after the vibhuti (Hindu holy ash) worn by Jelutong MP RSN Rayer was compared to the late communist party leader Chin Peng’s cremains.

Khoo, along with BM MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman - who made the controversial statement - were suspended for refusing to follow Mohamad Ariff’s orders.

Khoo, at the time, had been attempting to raise a point of order to defend the Dewan Rakyat's dignity against such statements with the tendency to incite racial-religious tension.

“If the suspension is the price that I have to pay for standing up against racist insults and defending the rights of our fellow Malaysians, so be it.

“The remark by Tajuddin is not only an extremely derogatory remark against my colleague RSN Rayer, but also an insult towards the Hindu community and an attack against their religious practices,” the DAP lawmaker said in a statement today.

He maintained that Mohamad Ariff had “set a negative precedent” by failing to take action against Tajuddin over the latter’s remark, and merely accepting the Pasir Salak MP’s retraction.

“[...] this means that any MP can make a derogatory statement that insults other religion, and get away with it by just withdrawing the statement later.”

He added: “I harbour no ill feelings against the Speaker, but as I’ve said before leaving the Dewan Rakyat, let it be on the record that this is not the way to conduct the proceedings of the Dewan Rakyat.

“How can we allow an elected MP to utter a derogatory and insulting remark against the Hindu community in the Dewan Rakyat without any action taken?”

Khoo will be writing to the government to urge a minister file a motion referring Tajuddin to the Rights and Privileges Committee for further action.

'Move on'

Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department P Waythamoorthy (below) said such remarks had no place in Malaysia’s multiracial community.

“This (the usage of vibhuti) is not new. If he (Rayer) wants to wear it, that is his right, it is not something alien.

“To (compare this) to the ashes of a person who is no longer living, that is not right,” the national unity and social wellbeing minister said to reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

However, he said the matter should be dropped if Tajuddin had retracted his statement “and apologised”.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, too, called on all parties to move on from the issue as Tajuddin has since retracted his statement.

“I hope all parties can accept the apology with an open heart. I hope this issue is settled and the opposition, especially BN, would cease to play up sensitive religious issues and to respect all religions,” the Bagan Datuk MP also said at the Parliament lobby.

However, during the ruckus in the House yesterday, Tajuddin had never officially apologised over his statement upon retracting it.

Upon urging from Rayer, who said the remark insulted Hindus, Tajuddin said: "Okay lah, I retract lah, there is no problem."

Even so, Zahid urged lawmakers from both sides of the divide to adhere to ethical guidelines when in the Dewan Rakyat.

Additional reporting by Ramieza Wahid.