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Thursday November 24, 2005

Session turns into a circus

THE situation inside the Dewan was like a circus when a deputy minister accused opposition MPs of behaving like monkeys.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk M. Kayveas was replying to questions about backlog of court cases when Fong Po Kuan (DAP – Batu Gajah) asked him to name the oldest case which had yet to be settled.

Kayveas then began to explain why there was a backlog.

When Lim Kit Siang (DAP – Ipoh Timur) pointed out that he was not answering Fong’s question, Kayveas replied: “Even with foreign visitors (European Parliament members) here, you are behaving like a monkey. See, one monkey behind and one in front.”

He was referring to Fong in the back row, and Lim in the front.

Kayveas fanned the temperature further when he said the reason for the delays was because lawyers who became opposition MPs constantly sought postponements.

When Lim and Fong protested, Kayveas again accused them of behaving like monkeys.

Fong demanded that Kayveas withdraw his remark. He did, but changed his mind when the opposition MPs continued to criticise him.

The pandemonium ended when Ramli ordered Kayveas to withdraw his words.

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