“When I’m in office, I always keep Members of Parliament talking. If they stopped, they might start thinking.”
– Winston Churchill, British statesman
IT finally happened. Last week, on August 13, our Parliament which is supposedly the pinnacle of wisdom, dignity and decorum, descended into something between a pasar malam shouting contest and a World Wrestling Entertainment smackdown audition.
When MPs shout, sulk and square up for a fight, perhaps it’s time to install a boxing ring in Parliament.
Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, a man known for his patience and usually steady temperament, lost his cool. And frankly, who could blame him? The Dewan Rakyat had become so rowdy that even the schoolchildren in the gallery probably thought they had accidentally wandered into a wrestling arena rather than the nation’s law-making chamber.
In the latest episode of parliamentary chaos, we witnessed shouting matches, finger-pointing and two PAS MPs who went so far as to challenge Pakatan Harapan’s Jelutong representative, RSN Rayer, to “come out and fight”! To their credit, at least they remembered to exit the Dewan first; Malaysia does not yet allow parliamentary debates to be settled with flying kicks on the Speaker’s carpet. But give it time.
The Speaker’s outburst said it all: “What is this? What kind of elected representatives are you? Very shameful of you all, shameful. You’re adults, not children, to be quarrelling like this.”
Frankly, many Malaysians watching might disagree. Our MPs behaved exactly like children – spoilt, noisy and prone to tantrums. Except children are cuter, and they do not earn allowances running into thousands of ringgit each month.
Let us not pretend this is the first time. Our Parliament has been slipping into circus territory for years. Remember the time in 2020 when chaos erupted over the Sheraton Move and MPs practically had to out-shout each other to prove their loyalty?
Or in 2022, when MPs from opposite sides hurled the word “bodoh” across the floor as if parliamentary vocabulary lessons had been replaced with kopi tiam quarrels? And who can forget the countless occasions when the word “pengkhianat” echoed through the chamber with the force of a pasar malam loudspeaker? Each time, the rakyat looked on with embarrassment. We expect spirited debates, yes. We do not expect what sounds like a karaoke session of insults.
Other countries have gone down this path before. South Korea, Taiwan, Pakistan, Ghana, Maldives, and India have all witnessed full-scale fistfights in their Parliaments. Chairs were thrown, shirts were torn, and in one famous incident in Taiwan, animal intestines were lobbed across the chamber.
By comparison, Malaysia still has some dignity left. Our MPs restrict themselves to words like “stupid”, “liar”, and “coward”. But unless something changes, it is only a matter of time before knuckle sandwiches replace nasi lemak as the Parliament canteen’s most popular item.
Since the Speaker himself has said he is tired of this nonsense, perhaps it is time to institutionalise the obvious. Instead of pretending our MPs are respected politicians, why not acknowledge their true talent, which is brawling?
I hereby propose that the authorities set up a parliamentary boxing ring in a nearby gymnasium. After each heated session, any MP who feels slighted can challenge his or her opponent to three rounds of five minutes each.
A proper referee will officiate. No shouting, no cursing; just clean jabs, hooks, and uppercuts. If that sounds too tame, then let the match go on until one MP drops. That will certainly discourage frivolous challenges.
Better still, televise the bouts live. Imagine the revenue from pay-per-view! With enough subscriptions, we might even pay off the national debt.
For safety, we can allow MPs to wear gloves and headgear. But frankly, given the way some of them behave, I suspect a few rakyat would prefer bare-knuckle contests. At the very least, this would spare the Speaker the indignity of screaming “Shut up, both sides!” like a frustrated schoolteacher.
Of course, satire aside, there are serious remedies on the table. In 2023, the Speaker had suggested increasing the fine for misbehaving MPs from a laughable RM1,000 to RM10,000. The current penalty is pocket change for lawmakers who enjoy hefty allowances and perks.
Some MPs spend more than that on one night’s “study trip”. No wonder suspensions and token fines have done nothing to restore order. A RM10,000 fine might sting, though even that may not be enough to tame our most boisterous YBs.
It may well take docking their allowances, suspending their salaries, or threatening their re-election chances to bring real change. After all, nothing terrifies a career politician more than losing his or her seat at the gravy train.
One also wonders what the rest of the world must think of us. Malaysia has always prided itself on being a model democracy, but what happens when our Parliament officially becomes a circus ring? Foreign diplomats already struggle to keep a straight face when explaining why debates collapse into shouting matches.
If we reach the stage of actual brawls, international headlines will write themselves: “Malaysia launches new sport: Parliamentary MMA”, “Democracy with flying kicks”, or “Budget debate ends with broken nose”. Is this really how we want to be remembered?
It is easy to forget, but MPs are not elected to out-shout each other. They are elected to serve the rakyat. Their job is to debate policies, propose solutions, and address the problems of ordinary Malaysians; rising costs, healthcare, education and job creation.
When Parliament is reduced to a verbal cockfight, nothing of substance gets done. The rakyat’s trust erodes further, feeding the dangerous narrative that politics is nothing more than a dirty game. The irony is rich: these same MPs often lecture the public on values, manners and respect. Yet, when given the floor, they act worse than football hooligans.
There are many ways to restore decorum, though they require genuine political will. Higher fines and meaningful penalties are one start. Parliament must also clearly define what constitutes misconduct and unparliamentary behaviour, so that “freedom of speech” is not misused as an excuse for verbal abuse.
A code of conduct should be mandatory, perhaps even with a demerit point system where repeat offenders face harsher consequences. Ethics training might sound laughable for adults, but it could be useful; indeed, bringing in kindergarten teachers to conduct it might yield better results than any senior parliamentary officer ever could.
And perhaps most importantly, the rakyat themselves should hold their MPs accountable, demanding explanations when their elected representatives misbehave. After all, the shame belongs not only to the MPs but to the constituencies that send them there.
In the end, it is both comic and tragic that we are even discussing boxing rings, animal intestines, and screaming matches when Parliament should be the very definition of dignity.
Johari Abdul was right to be furious. Malaysians, too, are furious, not because we expect perfection, but because we expect basic decency. If MPs cannot behave with respect inside the Dewan Rakyat, how can they expect respect outside it?
So, dear MPs, if you absolutely must quarrel, take it to the boxing ring after hours. The rakyat might even buy tickets. But inside Parliament, remember that you are supposed to be lawmakers, not lawbreakers.
Until then, our Parliament risks becoming less of an august House and more of a ‘wayang kulit’ theatre minus the entertainment value.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at rajlira@gmail.com
