Umno lawmaker Tajuddin Abdul Rahman confirmed that his son was among those who confronted Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad in front of the Parliament lobby this morning.
However, the agriculture and agro-based industries deputy minister denied sponsoring the group to enter the Parliament grounds.
"They were not protecting me. They were protecting the people of Pasir Salak. I am their elected representative. What is wrong with them (doing so)?" Tajuddin told Malaysiakini.
He also described it as a matter of "pride and dignity" after Khalid called him "sial" (damned), adding that insulting him in the House was akin to insulting his constituency.
Khalid had used the derogatory term during an exchange in the House on Monday, sparked off by Tajuddin's remark on the name of DAP's Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.
However, Tajuddin insisted he was only referring to the Seputeh MP's surname, which is pronounced the same way as a slang word referring to the male genitalia.
Tajuddin also sent a letter of demand to Khalid for repeating the term "sial" during a press conference at the Parliament lobby.
Asked who sponsored the group to enter the Parliament grounds, Tajuddin said: "How do I know? You think they're stupid? They know how to go about things."
Earlier, Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the MP who sponsored the group to enter should face the rights and privileges committee.
About a dozen people ambushed Khalid as he alighted from his car this morning and hurled insults at the Amanah communications director.
In the ensuing scuffle, a few of the assailants and security personnel who moved to protect Khalid fell to the ground. The MP was unscathed.
After being pushed back from the lobby, one of the assailants shouted, "Kami dari Pasir Salak ni bukan sial!" (We from Pasir Salak are not damned!)
The group then chanted "Hidup Pasir Salak!" (Long live Pasir Salak!) before leaving the area.
Khalid said one of them, who claimed to be Tajuddin's son, had asked: "Why did you call my father 'sial'?"
Like father, like son
In a press conference later, Khalid said it was not surprising for Tajuddin's son to behave that way.
"Like father, like son," he told reporters.
He also urged the Pasir Salak MP to issue an open apology to Kok and DAP's Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto whose voice he made fun of during the heated debate on Monday.
"If he wanted me to apologise, he need not send his children, supporters flanked by some aunties to beat me up. Just apologise to Teresa and Kasthuri first," he said.
He will also lodge a police report over this morning's incident.Kok, meanwhile, said she is willing to testify against Tajuddin if the case goes to court.
"I am disappointed. This episode could have ended that day, but it has been prolonged to the extent of violence in Parliament," she said.
She added the issue would not have escalated if the Dewan Rakyat speaker had instructed Tajuddin to retract his statement.
"But the speaker allowed Pasir Salak to escape so he is using this to protect himself," she said.- Mkini
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