Why ape your former opressors, ex-PKR MP slams move to suspend Wan Fayhsal

A former PKR MP who was once slapped with a six-month suspension from the Dewan Rakyat has slammed the Pakatan Harapan-led government's move to suspend Perikatan Nasional's Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, saying the coalition is now abusing its powers to silence elected representatives.

N Surendran, a former PKR vice-president, said the Machang MP should instead be referred to the bi-partisan Privileges Committee if the government has issues with his conduct.

"Using parliamentary majority to punish an MP is high-handed," said Surendran, who was suspended for six months as MP for Padang Serai in 2013 after allegedly insulting the speaker, sparking loud protests from the opposition bench.

"Then, my fellow PH MPs objected strongly, arguing it’s oppressive. Now in power, they’re behaving the exact same way.

"Why ape your former oppressors?" he asked.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said has written to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul, seeking to table an urgent motion today to suspend Wan Fayhsal for six months.

Azalina alleged that the Machang MP had denigrated staff of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) by reading out a viral letter about a certain official who played an active role in pushing for the controversial deal with a company owned by US fund manager BlackRock.

The motion can be passed with a simple majority.

Wan Fayhsal has been at the forefront of protests against the plan to involve BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners in the running of the country's airports.

Under the plan, GIP will take a 30% stake in a consortium to manage Malaysia Airports alongside the government's investment arm Khazanah Nasional and EPF, both entities under the jurisdiction of the finance ministry led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.