PKR MP Surendran suspended from Dewan Rakyat for six months

Member of Parliament for Padang Serai N. Surendran was today suspended from the Dewan Rakyat for six months for allegedly insulting Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia outside the House on Tuesday.

The suspension motion, which was tabled amid uproar from the opposition by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri, was passed by block voting due to a furor whether it should be debated.

The opposition questioned the legitimacy of the motion, triggering a heated argument which lasted almost 90 between Barisan Nasional (BN) and opposition lawmakers.

When the division was called by Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee, 92 BN parliamentarians voted for while the opposition representatives abstained.

Earlier, when a regular vote was called by Kiandee, BN lawmakers made a louder cry, but this was found unacceptable by the opposition, culminating in bloc voting.

On Tuesday, Surendran from PKR was given the marching orders by Pandikar Amin for challenging his decision to reject an emergency motion moved by him over the alleged demolition of the Sri Maneswarar Kaliyaman Temple extension in Jalan P. Ramlee here.

The dissatisfied Surendran told a press conference outside Parliament hall that Pandikar Amin was bias and likened the Dewan Rakyat to the Zimbabwe Parliament.

Accepting the suspension motion, Kiandee said Surendran had insulted the speaker and the Dewan Rakyat, thus it became a matter of public interest.

Raising a hue and cry over the motion, the opposition lawmakers claimed that it was laced more in personal interest before they stood up and tore off the notice of motion.