Anwar, three Pakatan MPs, suspended for six months (Update)

KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was suspended from Parliament over the Apco issue, while the motion to cite Pakatan Rakyat MPs Karpal Singh, R. Sivarasa and Azmin Ali for contempt was also passed.

All four were suspended for six months.

Earlier, Opposition MPs staged a walk-out when Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abd Aziz began to read a second motion to cite three MPs for contempt.

Amidst shouts, the first motion to suspend Anwar was pronounced passed without debate.

Karpal (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) said they would take case to court.

"There's a precedent in the case of Gobind Singh (Deo). It's so blatant that it cannot be defended," he said.

Earlier Thursday, pandemonium ruled on the morning of Parliament's last session for the year as Opposition MPs protested loudly against the motion to suspend four Opposition leaders.

At Thursday, Nazri began to read the motion, amidst shouts and protests from Opposition MPs.

Some remained standing, displaying placards, while backbenchers responded by thumping on their tables to drown shouts of "Apco".

The motion called for the suspension of Karpal, Sivarasa (PKR-Subang) and Azmin (PKR-Gombak) for contempt, and Anwar, following a motion by the Rights and Privileges Committee recommended the PKR adviser be suspended for six months for having linked the 1Malaysia concept and international consulting firm Apco Worldwide engaged by the government with the "One Israel" campaign.

Karpal and Sivarasa are alleged to have violated Standing Order 85 pertaining to the fact that information and documents adduced before a select committee cannot be made public by anyone before the committee reports to the house.

The motion also stated that Azmin, via a notice dated Dec 6 under Standing Order 18(1), had referred to the information and documents adduced during the Dec 3 meeting of the committee.

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