Last night at about 11.00pm, Parliament was debating Kit Siang’s motion to cut ten ringgit from the salary of Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar. The atmosphere was tense with BN backbenchers hagging Kit Siang all the way.

I rose to support Kit Siang’s motion and as an opening remark I quoted from the Royal Police Commission’s report that ” Public concerns regarding the image and efficiency of the Police reached serious levels in 2002 and 2003 due to public perceptions of the Police as one of the must corrupt of government agencies…”

I continued with quote from the Report: “The situation became of increasing concern to the Government.”

I then applauded the Prime Minister for his initiative in addressing the problem in the police force by setting up the Royal Police Commission.

I added that the Prime Minister was worried about the police having an image crisis and before I could go on to take Noh Omar to task for blindly defending the police when the PM and the Royal Police Commission had pointed out the acute crisis plaguing the Police force, I was interupted by MP for Sri Gading.

He accused me of tarnishing the Police’s image for my earlier remark about “public perceptions of the Police as one of the most corrupt of government agencies…”

Few other backbenchers joined in the fray to attack me.

I was amused by the attention and interuption and thundered back, ” I do not mind your verbal attacks on me if I have said anything wrong, but all you aware that what I said just now are quotes from the Royal Police Commission and statements made by the Prime Mnister himself!

“Are you trying to say the Prime Minister is wrong about the image crisis in the Police or the findings of he Royal Commission?” I went on with an offensive.

Others like MP for Santubong, Larut, Jerai, Bintulu continued to shell me and shout me down.

They may not be aware that they are actually shelling Pak Lah!