A Barisan Nasional (BN) member of Parliament took a swipe at PAS today for not punishing the practice of sodomy between a husband and wife under hudud law, causing an uproar.

Bung Moktar Radin's (Kinabatangan-BN) comments while debating the Budget 2004 proposals 'upped the amp' in the House and led to insults being traded.

In recent weeks, the PAS-led governments of Kelantan and Terengganu have come under fire over comments that were subsequently interpreted as allowing men to sodomise their wives.

Bung Moktar's further comments - alluding to Kelantanese women even permitting their husbands to sodomise them - provoked an immediate outburst from a number of PAS parliamentarians.

Speaker's threat

They stood up, shouting protests and demanding recourse to discipline under the Standing Order. BN members, not to be outdone, added to the commotion of abuse and threats.

Deputy Speaker Muhammad Abdullah's handling of the situation was not exempted in the process.

Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi (Kuala Terengganu-PAS) leveled the charge that Muhammad was being "unfair in chairing the proceedings" by not taking BN members to task over their insults.

The deputy speaker countered by threatening to throw Syed Azman, Ismail Noh (Pasir Mas-PAS) and Husam Musa (Kubang Kerian-PAS) out of the House if they did not back down.

The fracas eventually subsided upon the deputy speaker's insistence that the next MP begins his speech.