KUALA LUMPUR, 27 Fec 2009: Security at Parliament has been tightened following yesterday’s brawl, Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Dr Abdul Hamid Pawanteh said today.
He said this was tragic because Parliament was supposed to be a place where anyone can freely visit.
Speaking to reporters after receiving a visit from European Parliament Chairperson Hartmut Nassauer at his office here, Hamid said the security measures, though unpleasant, had become necessary because of a group of people who did not understand that force, coercion and intimidation were not acceptable to society.
He said group visits such as from schoolchildren would not be prevented from entering the Parliament compound.
He said only those who were found to be capable of disrupting the peace or security of Parliament would be stopped or given restrictions.
A commotion broke out in the Parliament compound yesterday when a group of people from Selangor Umno Youth confronted DAP chairperson and Bukit Gelugor member of Parliament (MP) Karpal Singh. They had demanded that he apologise for using the word “celaka” on Umno Youth. Several MPs were also involved in the scuffle.
When asked whether the people who created the commotion would be blacklisted from entering Parliament, Hamid said such a move was not necessary.
He said Parliament would not add more security personnel but would reduce the number of visitors.
He added that the incident did not only bring shame to Parliament but also all Malaysians. — Bernama
