The 'close one eye' affair involving the Jasin MP continues to draw brickbats from our readers with one saying, 'BN have been in power far too long that they have now become blooming arrogant'. On the prime minister's directive to all BN members of parliament to toe the line and not vote with their conscience, another reader says this all tyranny needs to gain a foothold. Read on.

On Voting along party lines contradicts NIP?

Conscientious Citizen: Transparency International Malaysia President Ramon Navaratnam was right in saying that 'good conscience and integrity' are interlinked because a person without integrity can easily betray his conscience.

A government solely interested in controlling its elected representatives on the basis of political partisanship and power play betrays the conscience of the nation. There is a higher law than the law of the government. That's the law of conscience.

Public opinion is the second conscience. All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. Recent developments have shown we have a government with neither conscience nor integrity.

This despite the printed words in page (7) of the General Election BN Manifesto 2004 which clearly stated in red and black ink: 'To address your need for better services and more accountable government, the Barisan Nasional will seek a higher level of performance and integrity among your elected representatives'.

Or has our Malaysian-type democracy become an art and science of running government business from a monkey cage? I have since conscientiously thrown that manifesto into the wastepaper basket.

Apai Saloi: If the Abdullah government is serious about integrity and wiping out corruption and upholding the latest Umno campaign of being 'jelas' (transparent) and 'ikhlas' (sincere), the PM should not prevent the MPs (backbenchers) from voting for the truth and speaking the truth.

Otherwise, just call it the end of the Islam Hadhari and civilisation in the Malaysia Bolehland.

On Opposition 'bad characters', says Jasin MP

Ah Chong: We need to look at the possibility of a two-party system where the rakyat has the power in their hands. In the US, if the Republicans don't do well and the economy slips, they only serve for four years and a Democrat government comes into power.

The truth is the BN have been in power far too long that they have now become blooming arrogant. Just look at the conversations in Parliament. Yesterday, opposition leader Lim Kit Siang was called a 'binatang' and Mohd Said of Jasin made a sexual innuendo by asking a woman parliamentarian if she likes it hard of soft.

This man has brought enough shame to the august body of the Parliament. If he is representative of the new breed of BN MPs then great, we can kiss goodbye to BN and give the opposition, Barisan Alternatif a chance to rule.

After all, was it not Anwar Ibrahim who would have been prime minister by now if it was not for Dr Mahathir Mohamad's vindictiveness?

Concerned Rakyat: Don't worry Mr Lim Kit Siang, we all know that Mohd Said is a crook. There are also many other big crooks and small crooks in the BN with the exception of Datuk Shahrir.

Unfortunately for this love-hate country, Malaysia, the rakyat used no eyes at all during the general elections although they were gifted with two eyes from God.

We can only pray to God and hope the closed-eye Malaysians can evolve to be able to use both their eyes.

Shufiyan Shukur: I just want to commend Melaka Customs and Excise Office for doing their job and not bending to the Jasin MP. Most times, the good work of civil servants goes unnoticed.

I think also most Malaysians are quite disappointed with Pak Lah for his stand on Shahrir. Was there a 'party line' for Shahrir to toe?

You mean the party line is that it's okay for Barisan MPs to use their influence in the interest of their personal commercial enterprises, regardless that it may contravene the laws of the nation?

If it is so, wow! That's quite a revelation!

Mr Concerned: What a shame on all those MPs from BN. If only all the MPs, especially from the BN , have principles like YB Shahrir, the democratic system in this country will be highly respected by people from within and without.

Unfortunately, most Malaysians have elected a bunch of MPs into the Parliament who are more concerned about their attire rather than the real integrity of Parliament.

Thai Eng: At the recent Umno 60th anniversary celebrations (is Umno Baru really that old?), the PM reportedly said:

"Failure is not an option, it is an initiative which needs to be achieved as the Vision 2020 is another gift to the Malays, to show that our people have developed."

He said this in connection with the need for the Malays to emerge as a developed race by 2020.

But is it going to be plain sailing with guys like the owner of Binyu Sof Enterprise, who is said to have said 'Close one eye' and a PM who apparently has closed both eyes to the 'Said Affair'? Leading them?