[top - Karpal Singh's son, Gobind Singh Deo, is restrained by Parliament staff during a confrontation with Umno Youth members at Parliament House yesterday.]

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA : In a day of shame, Parliament came close to emulating the Taiwan legislature. A fisticuffs was prevented, but not before a scuffle broke out.

The drama started when DAP chairman Karpal Singh was confronted by about 20 Selangor Umno Youth members as the Bukit Gelugor MP was entering the Tower Block at 2.45pm.

The group, who had been waiting for Karpal since 1.30pm, surrounded the wheelchair-bound Karpal and demanded that he apologise for calling Umno Youth celaka (damn) in the house on Wednesday.

Karpal had also accused the wing of sending bullets in the mail to him recently.

The feisty politician refused.



Fellow Pakatan Rakyat MPs -- Fong Kui Lun (DAP-Bukit Bintang), N. Gobalakrishnan (PKR-Padang Serai) and Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut) -- who had just come back from lunch, went to help Karpal after being told by Parliament staff of the incident.

The MPs said they were roughed up and shoved by some of the Umno Youth members.

"One even pulled my tie. At one point, I nearly fell into the fountain," Lim said.

However, the three MPs managed to get Karpal into the house, while the group continued to heckle and shout at them.

Moments later, Liew Chin Tong (DAP-Bukit Bendera) tried to cool the situation but was shouted down by several Umno Youth members.

Karpal's son, Gobind Singh Deo (DAP-Puchong), who sprinted to his father's aid, had a shouting match with the group.

At one point, Gobind and a member of the group had to be restrained by their friends to prevent a fisticuffs.

The situation only cooled down when Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club chief Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing came and told the group to disperse.

"Please go back and respect the house. We can't have such incidents happening here," he told them.

Gombak Umno Youth chief Megat Zulkarnain Omardin said the group comprised Umno members.

"He must stop insulting the rulers and Malays," he said.

Karpal immediately took up the matter in the chambers and demanded to know how the group could have made it into the compound.

"What security is the house providing?" he asked Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, to which the speaker promised to investigate.