By B Nantha Kumar - Free Malaysia Today
KUALA LUMPUR: A roundtable discussion involving 100 frustrated parents of top Indian SPM students and several Pakatan Rakyat MPs turned chaotic when two Barisan Nasional MPs and a senator stormed the room shouting, “Ini himpunan haram, keluar dari sini’ (This is an illegal gathering. Get out!).
The parents were momentarily stunned at the unbecoming behaviour of MPs Idris Haron (Tangga Batu) and Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan) and senator Maznah Mazlan.
The trio claimed the place was reserved as a rest area for MPs and so cannot be used for a conference.
Another MP, who declined to be named, said the situation grew tense when Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran explained to the trio that they had secured permission to use the area and the latter had no right to order them out.
“They were rude and abrasive. They left after we refused to budge. But they later raised the issue with the Speaker,” said the MP.
Earlier, before the ruckus, the parents had endorsed the Pakatan MPs as their intermediaries to seek help in securing scholarships for their children who had done well in their SPM.
Peaceful rally
Sources have reportedly said of the 1,500 scholarship given out by the Education Ministry, 1,200 were set aside for Bumiputera. Of the remainder, 166 were for Chinese students and 134 for Indians.
One parent, K Palanippan, from Rawang, said the 134 scholarships were not enough as the number of academically successful Indian students has increased.
“We came here to ask the Prime Minister to help us solve this problem but instead he sends his people to disrupt our meeting.
“What kind of party is this? It is so embarrassing to see the BN MPs' unruly behaviour. How dare they speak to us like that?” he asked.
Meanwhile, several parents, disgusted at today’s incident, are planning to hold a peaceful rally in front of Parliament tomorrow morning.
KUALA LUMPUR: A roundtable discussion involving 100 frustrated parents of top Indian SPM students and several Pakatan Rakyat MPs turned chaotic when two Barisan Nasional MPs and a senator stormed the room shouting, “Ini himpunan haram, keluar dari sini’ (This is an illegal gathering. Get out!).
The parents were momentarily stunned at the unbecoming behaviour of MPs Idris Haron (Tangga Batu) and Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan) and senator Maznah Mazlan.
The trio claimed the place was reserved as a rest area for MPs and so cannot be used for a conference.
Another MP, who declined to be named, said the situation grew tense when Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran explained to the trio that they had secured permission to use the area and the latter had no right to order them out.
“They were rude and abrasive. They left after we refused to budge. But they later raised the issue with the Speaker,” said the MP.
Earlier, before the ruckus, the parents had endorsed the Pakatan MPs as their intermediaries to seek help in securing scholarships for their children who had done well in their SPM.
Peaceful rally
Sources have reportedly said of the 1,500 scholarship given out by the Education Ministry, 1,200 were set aside for Bumiputera. Of the remainder, 166 were for Chinese students and 134 for Indians.
One parent, K Palanippan, from Rawang, said the 134 scholarships were not enough as the number of academically successful Indian students has increased.
“We came here to ask the Prime Minister to help us solve this problem but instead he sends his people to disrupt our meeting.
“What kind of party is this? It is so embarrassing to see the BN MPs' unruly behaviour. How dare they speak to us like that?” he asked.
Meanwhile, several parents, disgusted at today’s incident, are planning to hold a peaceful rally in front of Parliament tomorrow morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment