Chaos in Parliament as motion to suspend Surendran passed

KUALA LUMPUR: The motion to suspend Padang Serai MP (PKR) N. Surendran for six months created chaos in the Dewan Rakyat today as MPs from both sides of the divide got into an all out verbal war.
It began with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim reading out the motion which states that - Surendran had made statements insulting Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and tainted the sanctity of Parliament during a press conference on Tuesday.
Opposition MPs initially tried to throw out the motion as it does not fulfill the minimum 24 hours notice but Barisan Nasional MPs countered that it was an issue of public interest and should be pushed forward immediately.
A fiery shouting match then ensued, which lasted for about 40 minutes and ended with Gombak MP (PKR) Azmin Ali being ejected from the Dewan by Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee.
Azmin was ordered to leave because he insisted on clarifying his statement during the commotion despite an order by Kiandee to stop and sit down.
The motion was eventually passed via voice vote amidst heated exchanges, to which Pakatan Rakyat MPs responded by chanting "rubber stamp" in the Dewan Rakyat and staging a walkout led by Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Met outside immediately after, Anwar rubbished the claim that it was an issue of public interest and slammed the fact that the motion was passed when there had not been a proper debate between MPs.
"The speaker used to insist that the 24 hours notice must be exactly that, there wasn't (24 hours). Then they said it's an issue of public interest, what public interest?
"The motion supposedly seeks to protect Parliament, is this how you protect Parliament? You are allowed to debate, you cannot criticise, and you cannot argue," he said.
Anwar added that the speaker's office should be respected, but only if the speaker enforces the standing order without prejudice and is fair to all MPs.
Surendran said the suspension is unfair and he will come back six months later to push for Parliamentary reforms as the way the Dewan Rakyat conducted itself during the commotion is unacceptable.
Shahidan insisted that the suspension meted out against Surendran, the latter's second in his tenure as MP, is in accordance to procedure.
"Nobody asked for the block voting, so the speaker automatically called for a voice vote. It is not uncommon that motions have been passed without debate, many motions have been passed without debate in the past before," he said.