MP N. Surendran and other Pakatan Rakyat MPs are in black, instead of the usual ceremonial white, for the opening of the new session of paliament, to protest the jailing of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. – The Malayian Insider filepic, March 9, 2015.Pakatan Rakyat MPs today have been advised to wear black at the opening of the third session of the 13th Parliament as opposed to the usual white ceremonial costume, in protest at the jailing of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun, Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching and Kelana Jaya MP Wong Chen were among the earliest spotted wearing black, on the opening day where the King is expected to make a royal address.
Fong said the advice came from Pakatan leaders, given their unhappiness over the judgment and to show solidarity for Anwar.
On February 10, the Federal Court upheld Anwar’s sodomy conviction, effectively ending his public office as opposition leader in Parliament and the MP for Permatang Pauh.
Anwar has been convicted of sodomy twice, once in 1999 and again in 2008.
In the former, he was accused of sodomising his wife's driver, Azizan Abu Bakar, but was later acquitted and freed in a 2- 1 majority ruling by the Federal Court in 2004.
In 2008, Anwar was charged with sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, at an apartment in Damansara.
The High Court had in January 2012 acquitted Anwar, but this was overturned by the Court of Appeal in March last year.
Padang Serai MP N. Surendran when met said Pakatan today was also unhappy that Anwar was not allowed to attend Parliament as the opposition leader.
"We want to send a message to the government (that) it's not business as usual," said Surendran who is back in Parliament today after being suspended for six months for insulting the house and Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia.
- TMI
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