KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's Parliament last night voted to suspend a prominent Opposition member for one year after he accused the next prime minister of being a murderer in connection with the 2006 slaying of a Mongolian woman.
Opposition leaders called the suspension of Gobind Singh Deo an abuse of power by the National Front coalition, which controls nearly two-thirds of the 222-member Parliament.
Gobind, a well-known lawyer and son of veteran MP Karpal Singh, stunned the Lower House last week with a tirade against Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is scheduled to become premier in early April.
He wanted Najib to respond to Opposition accusations that he had a hand in the killing and shouted, "Answer me, you murderer," before Parliament's Speaker ordered him out.
A Cabinet minister made a formal proposal yesterday to suspend Gobind without pay for a year, saying he was in contempt of Parliament. Government legislators approved the proposal in a unanimous vote.
Najib has persistently denied any involvement in the slaying of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a 28-year-old Mongolian translator who had an affair with one of his close friends. The friend was acquitted of involvement in the killing last October.
Government lawyers say Shaariibuu was shot in October 2006. Her body was then blown up.
- AP
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