Only the truth hurts

This brings me to Gobind Singh MP and his suspension from parliament. A touch of name calling and the MP from Puchong suddenly finds himself with no MP pay and no access to the august house for a year. It’s all a bit rich I think.

Azmi Sharom

It is very strange but whenever someone writes to me about my newspaper column, and if they really don’t like what I say, and they want to insult me; they call me gay.
 
This is odd to me because the last time I checked I don’t do or say anything to suggest that I am. I can’t stand musicals of any sort; I do not listen to Kylie Minogue; I don’t support Manchester United ; I don’t carry a man bag; I don’t have any sort of fashion sense; and I only go to IKEA because they have a free playground where I can dump the kids for an hour.
 
The reason why my hetero sexuality can be questioned I suppose is that awful photo of me used for the column. I must admit; it is rather gay.
 
Anyway, this sort of name calling does not bother me in the slightest because I don’t see being called gay as an insult and besides I am reminded of a friend of mine in school who had the unfortunate nick name of “bender”.  When I asked him how come he is not upset by it, he said “only the truth hurts”.
 
This brings me to Gobind Singh MP and his suspension from parliament. A touch of name calling and the MP from Puchong suddenly finds himself with no MP pay and no access to the august house for a year. It’s all a bit rich I think.
 
Nazri Aziz, who is oh so concerned about good behaviour in parliament, was once captured on video in the Dewan screaming hysterically at another MP, calling him a racist again and again. On what grounds did he make that strong accusation I wonder? Were they well founded or is it just based on his perception.
 
And what about obnoxious MPs who get away scot free when making moronic comments about women and their menstrual cycles. You also get seditious MPs who tell our non Muslim brethren that they can leave the country.
 
Nazri and all these people did not get the slightest smack on the wrist by the speaker. It all stinks of hypocrisy.  Just as the actual process of Gobind being suspended smacks of hypocrisy.
 
One would have thought that the proper procedure was for the case to be brought before a Committee of Privileges. It would then listen to all the parties involved, including Gobind Singh and then make a decision. This decision can then be brought to the Dewan to be endorsed.
 
Here the case was brought straight to parliament as a motion made by that defender of parliamentary decorum Nazri Aziz, and voted on without the MP concerned being given the opportunity to defend himself. Clearly the basic right to be given a fair hearing was not adhered to.
 
Ironically, when a similar situation happened in Perak, when the Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly suspended a few Barisan ADUN, the very same people calling for the head of Gobind, were calling for the head of the Perak Speaker. Listen people, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.
 
The Parliamentary Speaker was also reported as lamenting that our parliament was no longer a “first world parliament”. I wonder when we actually lost this status. Did we ever have it in the first place? It is strange that the responsibility of making our parliament “first world”, whatever that might mean, should fall on the shoulders of a first timer opposition MP and not the plethora of badly behaved MPs in the recent past.
 
Besides, in using his broad discretionary powers should not the Speaker use it in a way that is not contrary to natural justice? Surely, adherence to basic principles of fairness is one of the things that make a parliament “first world”.