KUALA LUMPUR: Government backbenchers are bound by the chief Whip at all times throughout parliamentary sessions, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said today (May 9, 2006).

"They are bound by party rules and discipline. The Whip is only relaxed when it is lifted by the chief or the deputy chief Whip," he said at a media briefing after a 45-minute meeting with the BBC committee at Parliament.

"The question of allowing backbenchers to vote according to their conscience does not arise. It is also not right to say the Backbenchers Club (BBC) does not come under the whip which is perpetually in force until otherwise."

On Monday (May 8, 2006), BBC secretary Datuk Rosli Mat Hassan, with the backing of about 30 government MPs, issued a statement asking the executive to allow them to vote according to their conscience in the absence of a direction from the chief Whip.

Nazri said the BBC committee had unanimously accepted his explanation that the current whip had been in force since 1955.

"It was wrong for Datuk Zaid Ibrahim (BN-Kota Baru) to say otherwise on this by quoting the practice in other Commonwealth countries," he said.

Nazri said there had been occasions when the Whip had been relaxed, citing an emergency motion by Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian) on the insurgency in southern Thailand last year (2005).

"Although no voting was involved, they could only speak in support of the motion because we gave them the green light," he said.

"In future, if a situation arose which required the Whip's directive, backbenchers can call for time-out to discuss and reach a decision on the matter.

"It has been done before. In the last (parliamentary) session, there was some confusion with the Road Transport Department Act and a 15-minute break was taken to discuss because members were confused.

"If a BN MP is not agreeable to the Whip and does not agree to toe the party line when voting in Parliament, the MP can resign and contest as an Independent and vote based on conscience.

"At this moment the only MP who can speak and vote based on his conscience is Sandakan (Independent) MP Chong Hon Ming.

"Even opposition MPs are also bound by their own Whip system, party discipline and regulations. "

On the position of Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad (BN-Johor Baru), Nazri said it was obvious that the former BBC chairman had breached party regulation and discipline when he supported the opposition motion.

Nazri said if Shahrir had not acknowledged his wrongdoing and resigned, disciplinary action could have been taken against him in the form of suspension.

"If the backbenchers had re-elected him after the Whip had accepted his resignation, it would have been a mockery of the disciplinary process within the BN," he added.

He said the BN had previously suspended Deputy Natural Resources and Enviornment Minister Datuk S.Sothinathan for going against the Whip and two MPs, Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) and Datuk Mohamed Aziz (BN-Sri Gading), were given warning letters for rooting for the Opposition.

"What will it look like if Shahrir is re-elected. He would have only served a suspension for about two to three days," he said.

Nazri said BBC deputy chairman Datuk Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar (BN-Larut) is now acting BBC head until a new chief is elected.