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Education of the new Education Minister

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has resorted to the classic but contemptible ploy of unprincipled politicians of blaming the press for twisting his words when he should have been honest and humble enough to own up and apologise for making what former Penang Gerakan Exco member, Dr. Toh Kin Woon, had rightly described as “insulting” and “distasteful” statements in the Mingguan Malaysia interview about the role of the Malaysian Chinese voters in the Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau by-elections and the “new political scenario”.

Muhyiddin had compounded his mistake and now owes a second apology – the first apology for the most retrogressive, racist and offensive remarks about the Chinese in the Mingguan Malaysia interview and the second apology to the Chinese media, for wrongly blaming them for distorting what he had said in the interview.

Even worse, he had dragged the MCA President and Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Kiat into the cauldron who should also make a public apology.

It has been reported that Muhyiddin today hit out at the Chinese papers for twisting his words and putting him in a bad light among the Chinese community. Continue reading “Education of the new Education Minister”

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Najib’s 1Malaysia – does it mean “Ketuanan Melayu”?

The interview given by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in Mingguan Malaysia yesterday “Kuasa penentu Melayu hilang jika terus berpecah” may be appropriate coming from the Umno Deputy President but clearly unsuitable, most shocking and even offensive coming from the Deputy Prime Minister of a plural Malaysia after more than half-a-century of nation-building and national unity efforts.

The following Q & A is one good example:

Q. Tetapi bukankah setiap kali pilihan raya kecil, permintaan kaum bukan Melayu dipenuhi, malah di Bukit Gantang walaupun peruntukan RM1juta diberikan tetapi kaum Cina tidak juga menyokong BN?

MUHYIDDIN: Ya, kadang-kadang kita berasa terpedaya juga kerana zahirnya nampak macam ‘ok’, sambutan dengan tepukan gemuruh tetapi mungkin sudah ada tertanam dalam hati iaitu sesuatu tidak mudah hendak berubah, pokoknya masalah isu Perak terutamanya di kalangan masyarakat Cina yang mungkin telah dipengaruhi dengan sentimen simpati kepada Datuk Seri Ir.Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin, kononnya dia ‘dijatuhkan’, lepas itu kononnya dasar memberi pegangan tanah selama 99 tahun dilihat dasar yang menguntungkan.

Ini yang mungkin menyebabkan sukar BN mendapat sokongan walaupun kita fikir bila mereka hendak sekolah Cina dibantu, kita bantu, sepatutnya mereka membalas budi. Pada waktu itu, kita pun tidak berharap sokongan kaum Cina akan meningkat 40 peratus dan sebagainya cuma kita berharap ada peningkatan sedikit tetapi apa yang berlaku ia mencatatkan penurunan, macam tidak ada penghargaan terhadap apa yang kita lakukan.

Oleh itu kita kena kaji psikologi apa yang menyebabkan masyarakat Cina tidak bersedia untuk berubah, pada zaman dahulu tidak begitu.

Persoalannya apakah mereka melihat dalam konteks senario politik baru ini, selepas kerajaan BN tumbang di lima buah negeri, mereka sudah menjadi kuasa penentu? Orang Cina rasa sekarang, walaupun mereka kumpulan minoriti, merekalah menentukan kerana kelompok masyarakat Melayu sudah berpecah tiga kumpulan. Masyarakat Cina tidak berpecah mereka bersatu, setidak-tidaknya dari segi semangat apabila bersama-sama membuat sesuatu keputusan.

Dalam keadaan ini, mereka boleh menentukan keputusan sesuatu pilihan raya dan apabila kesan itu dapat dilihat dalam pilihan raya umum lalu dan beberapa pilihan raya kecil, mereka fikir sekarang mereka lebih ada kuasa penentu, bukan sahaja Cina malah masyarakat India pun begitu, apa tah lagi apabila mendapat kedudukan dalam kerajaan yang ditubuhkan pakatan pembangkang dengan menjadi Timbalan Ketua Menteri, Speaker dan exco kerajaan negeri, jadi ini bagi mereka seolah-olah tawaran yang diberikan oleh pihak sana lebih baik daripada kita pernah tawarkan dalam konteks BN, jadi ini kita harus teliti.

Muhyiddin’s interview has been carried in the Chinese newspapers today, with headlines like “Muhyiddin – Chinese ungrateful to BN” (Sin Chew); “Chinese fooled Barisan Nasional. Muhyiddin – Get benefits but do not vote in support” (Nanyang); “BN feels tricked. Muhyiddin – Satisfy Chinese demands still no support” (China Press) Continue reading “Najib’s 1Malaysia – does it mean “Ketuanan Melayu”?”

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Islam “more repressive….narrow and parochial”

I was struck by one Q & A in Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s final interview as Prime Minister on 31st March 2009, as published by The Star yesterday, viz;

Q: You talked about progress Muslims made in earlier years and how we must emulate their efforts. But we must examine the Islam practised then. It was so free, lots of freedom to research, to think and implement. When you introduced Islam Hadhari, I thought this would bring it back to that era. But under you, Islam has gone to be more repressive. Just look at the lectures given by the ustaz on RTM1, they are so narrow and parochial.

A: It is a big problem – overseas the idea is welcome. Even Indonesia. But here it is all in a mess. Because we are fighting each other politically. Some PAS members do not like the idea. It is a battle that goes on. Changing of the mind. To do anything like that is not easy.

I have given myself that role. When I talk about democracy and freedom of discourse, it is not an easy job to do. But you have to allow people to enjoy it.

When people like it, the freedom, they think it is very nice. But I would have managed it better. I think up to now, nobody can silence the papers anymore. I don’t like the word takut (scared). Takut is not the way. Being reasonable is very important as well as being correct. Scaring does not work.

No denial whatsoever from Abdullah that under his Islam Hadhari, “Islam has gone to be more repressive…so narrow and parochial”. Continue reading “Islam “more repressive….narrow and parochial””

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BTN communal poison again

Yesterday, I received an indignant email from a recent participant in the course of the Biro Tata Negara (BTN), funded by taxpayers but acting as the propaganda arm of UMNO, pumping communal poison instead of spreading the message of national unity.

Despite criticisms against the BTN both in and out of Parliament, invariably followed by denials by the Minister or Deputy Minister concerned, it is clear from this email that BTN had not changed one whit its irresponsible ways.

I read out the complaints in the email in Parliament yesterday during the debate on the 2008 Supplementary Estimates, viz: Continue reading “BTN communal poison again”

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The Pendatang joke from Penang

(This joke, which came by email, hits home a most pertinent message about Malaysian nation-building.)

Ahmad: Hey son, who were you talking to ?
Son: My fairy godmother.

Ahmad: How many times have I told you there is no such thing as a fairy godmother ?
Son: I know but there really is a fairy godmother, Dad.
Ahmad: Okay, call her here now. I would like to talk to her.
Son: But she won’t come Dad. She said she doesn’t want to meet you.

Ahmad: Did she tell you why?
Son: She said that you are a bad man.
You betray your Chinese friends by calling them Pendatangs.
Ahmad: You saw that news on TV, didn’t you ?
Son: No, I didn’t, the fairy godmother told me.
Ahmad: Well, your fairy godmother is wrong.
She should thank me for calling the Chinese Pendatangs.
Son: Why Dad ? Continue reading “The Pendatang joke from Penang”

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CNY Message – Can Malaysians regardless of race, religion or territory share a common Malaysian dream?

Happy and auspicious Chinese New Year of the Ox to all Malaysians.

When Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th and first African-American President, he embodied the American dream rallying bipartisan support with the majority of Americans uplifted by better hopes for the future.

The question Malaysians should ponder on the occasion of the Chinese New Year of the Ox is whether Malaysians regardless of race, religion or territory, can share a common Malaysian dream to build a united, harmonious, democratic, just, meritocratic, competitive and prosperous nation.

The next 12 months will be a very difficult and challenging one, whether on the economic, political or nation-building front.

Two days after Chap Goh Mei on Feb. 11, Malaysia’s human rights record will face scrutiny by the United Nations Human Rights Council, which will investigate and consider the human rights situation in Malaysia as part of the Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of countries.

Malaysia’s human rights record is not going to come out smelling of roses from the Council’s UPR, especially with the recent slate of human rights atrocities, such as: Continue reading “CNY Message – Can Malaysians regardless of race, religion or territory share a common Malaysian dream?”

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Najib’s pretensions

Opinion
By Philip Bowring
International Herald Tribune
January 8, 2009

Malaysian pretensions

HONG KONG: In a move that could backfire by drawing attention to discrimination against Chinese, Indian and other minorities in Malaysia, the country has claimed a role in the advancement of Malays in other lands.

The Malaysian deputy prime minister and heir apparent, Najib Razak, told an international Malay/Muslim audience recently that his government would work to help support them in countries from the Philippines and Singapore to Madagascar, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

Najib’s remarks may draw the attention of China, India and other countries to what has hitherto been regarded by most outsiders as a domestic issue: Malaysia’s official economic and social preferences for Malays, and by extension Muslims, which disadvantage Malaysia’s non-Malay minorities, mostly Chinese and Indian. His statements are also sure to irritate Indonesia, Malaysia’s larger neighbor and fount of Malay culture. Continue reading “Najib’s pretensions”

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Malaysia at new crossroads – unite as one people to withstand the worst effects of the global economic tsunami

    2009 New Year Message

2008 is the year of the political tsunami in Malaysia – with five state governments under Pakatan Rakyat, the end of two-thirds parliamentary majority of Barisan Nasional and a totally new national mindset where the toppling of the Umno-Barisan Nasional coalition government at the national level is no more impossible or unthinkable but eminently possible and a matter of time.

In 2009, the world expects the worst economic tsunami in 80 years wreaking even greater economic devastation world-wide than that caused by the global financial crisis this year which had already plunged the United States, Europe and Japan into recession and slowed down world economic growth – and the two great economic powerhouses, China and Japan, will not be spared.

Malaysia is at a new crossroads. We have lost our way after half-a-century of nationhood as illustrated by the tragic fact that the objective of a Bangsa Malaysia as proclaimed in Vision 2020 has become a subject of discord rather than concord among Malaysians and our continued slippage in international competitiveness whether in terms of university rankings, corruption perception indices, human rights or good governance ratings. Continue reading “Malaysia at new crossroads – unite as one people to withstand the worst effects of the global economic tsunami”

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Abdullah’s sensible/commendable comments on nation-building – why not adopted in his heyday as PM?

In his interview with Sin Chew Daily in the past two days, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made the most sensible and commendable comments on nation-building in Malaysia.

The greatest pity is that he did not adopt them when he has the real power to influence the government and nation in his heyday as Prime Minister.

Firstly, in “Change Or Perish, Pak Lah Tells UMNO”, Sin Chew reported:

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the Malays have changed their old thinking and value system, only that UMNO seems to have “forgotten” that the Malays have indeed changed.

He said the Malays have changed, but if UMNO remains unwilling to change, then the party will eventually head for destruction.

“UMNO has forgotten that the Malays have changed their own thinking and perspectives. It has forgotten that the Malays have changed their value system. The Malays are no longer what they used to be. They unreservedly express themselves. They even wave the DAP flags!” Continue reading “Abdullah’s sensible/commendable comments on nation-building – why not adopted in his heyday as PM?”

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No to “ketuanan rakyat Malaysia” – BN abandoning Bangsa Malaysia?

I will move a motion under Standing Order 43 to challenge and review the ruling of Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee condoning the gross breach of parliamentary privilege by former Minister and Barisan Nasional MP for Rompin Datuk Jamaluddin Jarjis in trying to sabotage my speech during the 2009 Budget debate on the Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage on Monday in misleading the House by falsely claiming that I had said “the Malays treated the Chinese like slaves” when referring to “ketuanan Melayu”.

Jamaluddin was being most mischievous, irresponsible and racist when he deliberately repeated at least ten times in various variation of the false accusation that I had said the Malays regard the Chinese as slaves to try to paint me as racist and anti-Malay – when he was the one who was demonstrating his worst communal colours.

He even challenged me to apologise and withdraw the allegation when this is verified in a check with the Hansard the next day.

A check with the Hansard has proven that Jamaluddin was telling a big lie, which he compounded by repeating it ten times in the House on Monday, and it is now clearly confirmed that I had never said that the Malays treated the Chinese as slaves.

This is a gross breach of parliamentary privilege, compounded by his deliberate repetition of the lie ten times, hoping to turn a lie into a truth by sheer repetition!
Continue reading “No to “ketuanan rakyat Malaysia” – BN abandoning Bangsa Malaysia?”

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Ketuanan Melayu – concept used by UMNO leaders to enslave all Malaysians

The 2009 Budget debate on the Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage last night opened up with the most unprecedented and ferocious attack by the UMNO MP for Sri Gading Datuk Mohamad Aziz on the MCA for being “biadap” and “kurang ajar”, telling PPP to “get out” of Barisan Nasional and even proposing a political alliance of the Malay leaders in Umno, Pas and Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

When I spoke (see video), there was a deliberate attempt by former Cabinet Minister and UMNO MP for Rompin, Dr. Jamaludin Jarjis and Mohamad Aziz to sabotage my speech when I touched on the “ketuanan Melayu” controversy, demanding that I withdraw my non-ex isting statement that Malays are “tuan” and the Chinese are the “hamba” – with the matter left to be verified with Hansard (verbatim parliamentary report) the next morning, which proved that Jamaludin had mischievously misled the House with the false allegation.

My question why 51 years after Merdeka, the Umno leaders are not prepared to accept the concept of “ketuanan rakyat Malaysia” was evaded completely.
Continue reading “Ketuanan Melayu – concept used by UMNO leaders to enslave all Malaysians”

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Mukhriz has committed the offence of sedition in proposing closure of Chinese/Tamil primary schools

UMNO MP for Jerlun and candidate for Umno Youth chief, Mukhriz Mahathir has committed the offence of sedition in questioning one of the four “sensitive” issues entrenched in the Constitution which has no parliamentary immunity and on conviction, he can be stripped of his parliamentary membership, disqualified from taking part in parliamentary and state assembly elections as well as barred from holding office in any society for five years.

However Mukhriz twist and turn, there can be no doubt that in his press conference at the Parliament lobby yesterday which he repeated in his speech in the House last night, he was in fact calling for the closure of Chinese and Tamil primary schools, hence the following headlines:

• “Sekolah satu sistem – cadangan ke arah menggantikan pendidikan berbeza aliran” – Utusan Malaysia
• “Mukhriz: Scrap vernacular schools, one system for all” (Star online).
• “”Abolish dual system” (Star in print).
• “Mukhriz: Close down vernacular schools” (Malaysiakini English)
• “Mukhriz saran tutup sekolah vernacular” (Malaysiakini Bahasa Malaysia)
• “Mukhriz says vernacular schools should be abolished” (Malaysianinside)
• “Change all school medium to Bahasa Malaysia” – Nanyang
• “Abolish Chinese and Tamil primary schools to check polarisation – Mukhriz” – (China Press)
• “Standardise all primary schools with Bahasa Malaysia as medium of instruction” – (Oriental Daily) Continue reading “Mukhriz has committed the offence of sedition in proposing closure of Chinese/Tamil primary schools”

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Muhyiddin’s ultimatum to Zaid – rise of exclusive, intolerant and petty-mindedness in Umno leadership

I am surprised by the outburst of the Umno vice president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in Kota Kinabalu yesterday, excoriating former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, for attending an opposition function, accusing Zaid of “disloyalty to Umno” and demanding an explanation from Zaid or to face disciplinary reprisals!

I am very disappointed because Muhyiddin is the Minister for International Trade and Industry as well as the favourite in the contest for Umno Deputy President and therefore Deputy Prime Minister-designate next March – and should be an example of inclusive thinking and greater openness and tolerance instead of being very exclusive, intolerant and petty-minded in a country we want to market to the world as Instant Asia!

It is a major setback for the Bangsa Malaysia concept as it illustrates the sad fact that exclusive, intolerant and petty-mindedness have displaced inclusive thinking and greater openness and tolerance in the mind-set of Umno leaders 51 years after Merdeka!

Is “loyalty to Umno” so brittle and fragile that it must be invoked against any Umno member for attending an opposition function?

I attended the official opening of the new Umno Building at Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur in the eighties. Was my “loyalty to DAP” ever in doubt for attending an Umno function? Continue reading “Muhyiddin’s ultimatum to Zaid – rise of exclusive, intolerant and petty-mindedness in Umno leadership”

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The biggest obstacle to Malay progress…

Letters
by Allan C

I am a Chinese Malaysian male with diverse groups of friends – Tamils, Malayalees, Sikhs, Jaffna Tamils, whites, Eurasians, and Babas and Nyonyas.

The problem is I have very few Malay friends.

Umno tells them I am a threat to them..

Umno tells them I am undeserving of equal rights.

They might even believe it, and since I don’t want to think any less of them, I prefer to keep my own counsel.

Generally I don’t talk much about anything important with Malays, and certainly not about politics.

I think meaningful friendships between Malays and non-Malays are becoming rare in Malaysian society.

There is not enough dialogue between Malays and non-Malays at the ground level. Umno speaks from both sides of its mouth – telling the Malays the non-Malays are a threat to them, and then turning round to tell the non-Malays that their rights will be protected.

At other times it may say the reverse, the key denominator being what it needs to say to win votes at the time, and the ethnic composition of the audience. After 51 years of Umno’s divide and rule, it is no wonder that race relations are a joke.

With Biro Tata Negara, Khir Toyo and Ahmad Ismail to lead the way, only a fool will think Umno wants good race relations. Umno leaders wants good race relations only when it will keep them in power. Power and money are the real motivations for Umno’s political leaders.

After the twisted judicial treatments and twisted sentences meted out to the likes of Lim Guan Eng, Anwar Ibrahim, Teresa Kok and Raja Petra Kamaruddin, I think we can safely rule out any semblance of a sense of right and wrong and common decency as a meaningful guide to Umno’s decisions. Continue reading “The biggest obstacle to Malay progress…”

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RMK9 – Does It Benefit The Orang Asli?

This is my exchange in Parliament with the Minister for Rural and Regional Development, Tan Sri Muhamad Muhamad Taib on the plight of the Orang Asli in Malaysia 51 years after Merdeka during the 2009 Budget debate in early November.

The only way to end the decades-long neglect of the Orang Asli community in Malaysia is to mainstream the problems of Orang Asli and the following letter is a welcome beginning for such a mainstreaming process.
Continue reading “RMK9 – Does It Benefit The Orang Asli?”

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A reply to Benjamin (2)

BY R

While I agree with Benjamin in general, I have some points to add:

Quote from Benjamin:

“Therefore, to change the fate of our nation is to change the mentality of the Malays. This is the ONLY solution!”

I think this is off course, because out there, there would be Malays (like an independant MP and some Bukit Bendera UMNO members) who would talk about resolving the problem by changing the mentality of the Chinese and Indians. Some of these articles talk about assimilation, for example.

This problem could only be resolved by dissolving ethno-centrism and moving towards a true “Malaysian Malaysia”, not a “Malay, Chinese and Indian Malaysia”. The change has to be in the mindsets of every Malaysian, regardless of race or religion.

For e.g. every Malaysian of any background should care about the condition of every other Malaysian who is poor and in true need of help, in order to compete in a level playing ground. This way, those who are disadvantaged, will not try to isolate themselves into a group that is fighting for their own rights, and caring for no one else, or worse, pretending to care for others in front of the camera. This doesn’t just apply to races, but also any disadvantaged group e.g. the disabled, single parents etc. Continue reading “A reply to Benjamin (2)”

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A reply to Benjamin

BY Eddy

Dear Benjamin,

Thank you for forwarding this email of yours.

Although there is no doubt that my sympathies lie with the DAP. I need to clarify that I am not, and was never a member of any political party. I did once toy with the idea of signing up, but that was about as far as my political ambitions went. Nevertheless, I never stopped admiring Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang and his son, Guan Eng given their courage, honesty, selflessness, sacrifice and tenacity

The arguments contained in your email are persuasive and interesting. To be fair to DAP though, I think the party has already embarked on the very path that you are advocating. After all these years, I believe they are quite aware of the political landscape.

With the benefit of hindsight, I think Kit Siang – more idealistic than politically savvy at that time – overstretched himself in wooing the Malay votes. He paid a high price and almost led his party to the wilderness after attempting to forge a united front with PAS during the 1999 general election. Ideologically, the two parties were much too far apart. The unholy alliance merely served to rouse the fear and distrust of DAP traditional supporters. Besides, floating Chinese voters throughout the country deserted DAP in droves during the subsequent election, and the party was badly trounced.

From my personal observation of the recent general election, I think the DAP have finally got it right this time. The party stalwarts made a very wise (and strategically correct) move in throwing its full support behind Anwar Ibrahim’s Keadilan. Despite their bad experience with PAS, they still managed to convince members to once again put away personal and party’s interests to form a united opposition front with Keadilan and PAS. To achieve that, I believe the DAP made significant electoral concessions (far more than PAS was prepared to give in return). I would therefore be surprised if anyone would accuse DAP for lack of trying. Continue reading “A reply to Benjamin”

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An Open Letter to all DAP Leaders and Members

By Mr. Loi Bih Siang Benjamin
Political Scientist

The majority of the Malays support UMNO; and UMNO has plundered and mis-managed the wealth of this country with impunity. Therefore, to change the fate of our nation is to change the mentality of the Malays. This is the ONLY solution!

Without doubt, DAP has struggled and fought fearlessly and tirelessly over the past 4 decades aspiring to build a democratic and progressive Malaysia regardless of race and religion. However, I can only conclude that over the past 4 decades, DAP has completely failed to fight against the UMNO hegemony in the country.

DAP had never prepared itself to be the alternative of BN until 08 March 2008. And we have to acknowledge that DAP had been dragged and manipulated by UMNO to become or at least seen to become a Chinese-Chauvinist political party. The fact is that without PAS or Anwar Ibrahim, DAP will NEVER be able to engage the Malay electorate. The leadership of DAP has long been luxuriating in being recognized as the ‘Chinese Hero’ or ‘Non-Muslims’Rights Defender’.

Since DAP’s inception in 1966, the Party has failed to recognize the basic and simple fact that it is the Malays who decide the sort of leaders they want and they have voted UMNO in for 12 consecutive General Elections. Continue reading “An Open Letter to all DAP Leaders and Members”

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Insinuation of PR “secret agreement” on Malay special rights – baseless, mischievous and unworthy of a professional journalist

Star Editor-in-Chief Wong Chun Wai in his blog yesterday on “The realities of Malaysian politics” wrote:

    “Anwar Ibrahim has revealed a signed document between himself, DAP’s Lim Kit Siang and PAS’ Hadi Awang that none of us have heard of until now – an agreement to uphold the rights enshrined in the Federal Constitution. The Sept 8 agreement pledged to uphold Malay rights and the status of Islam as the official religion.

    ”Anwar also said that the social contract between the races were already agreed upon by all members of the coalition. He also revealed that the four-paragraph agreement could not be changed by any party, according to The Star.”

The imputation that I had signed on behalf of DAP a “secret” compact with the other Pakatan Rakyat leaders to uphold Malay rights and the status of Islam as the official religion as provided in the Federal Constitution is baseless, mischievous and unworthy of a professional journalist.

This is because Wong’s insinuation imported the innuendo that the DAP and I had all along opposed these two constitutional provisions but in a most opportunistic and dishonest act of political expediency, I had agreed in Pakatan Rakyat to a secret document “none of us have heard of until now” to support them. Continue reading “Insinuation of PR “secret agreement” on Malay special rights – baseless, mischievous and unworthy of a professional journalist”

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Tajuddin of Pasir Salak – “tak sekolah ke?”

Before the disgraceful “bastard” episode in Parliament on Wednesday (5th November 2008), the Barisan Nasional (BN) MP for Pasir Salak, Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman was involved in an earlier parliamentary row when I was speaking on the Prime Minister’s Department on how the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) was poisoning the minds of the new generation of public servants with racist, communal and unMalaysian propaganda.

This was Tajuddin’s “tak sekolah ke?” expose.

Many MPs, not only from Pakatan Rakyat but also from BN, have been wondering why Tajuddin had been enjoying immunity not only for showing utter contempt for parliamentary decencies but even for openly challenging the authority of the Chair, as happened on on 29th October 2008 when the Deputy Speaker Datuk Dr. Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaffar was presiding, and Tajuddin threw the gauntlet:

“Kalau macam ini saya tidak setuju kalau Tuan Yang di-Pertua hendak ambil tindakan kepada saya, ambillah! Betul, ambillah, ambil! Come on. Let’s be fair dengan izin. You dengar ini dengar!”

DAP MP for Bukit Gelugor Karpal Singh was suspended for two days over the “main, main” issue but Tajuddin got away scot-free for unprecedented open defiance to the Chair except to subsequently withdraw the statement.