WHAT'S in an acronym? Quite a lot, judging from the reactions of some MPs in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
It started with a play on PKR, the acronym for Parti Keadilan Rakyat, by the BN backbencher for Rembau, Khairy Jamaluddin. Khairy, who had been talking about food self-sufficiency, said statistics showed that apart from chicken and pork, all other food was imported to meet local demand.
"But this is not enough, and a state government has made it its priority to approve a monster pig breeding project or, Projek Khinzir Raksasa or, in short, PKR," he said.
This remark brought a sharp protest from the PKR member for Kulim Bandar Baru, Zulkifli Nordin, who demanded a retraction.
But Khairy refused and maintained that his use of the acronym was not aimed at anyone and that it was merely an abbreviation.
Mahfuz Omar (Pas-Pokok Sena) shouted that pig breeding programmes could be named project Babi Negara or BN.
After all, he said, the BN government too had provided assistance for the project, which was initiated by the previous Selangor BN administration.
This brought howls of derision from the backbenchers who felt that unlike Khairy, the opposition had deliberately coined an abbreviation which rhymed with Barisan Nasional.
Deputy speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee had his hands full keeping order and the shouting abated when Khairy ended his speech.
Khairy's run-in with the opposition was the culmination of repeated attempts by the opposition to get him to allow them to seek clarifications.
He had steadfastly refused as he was running short on time.
"You make allegations against everyone, but you don't want to give way to us," chided Chow Kon Yeow (DAP-Tanjong), but Khairy refused to budge.
Earlier in the debate, Khairy called on the government to review its fuel subsidy programme which he said was not benefiting the target group.
He also called on the government to provide a special briefing in Parliament on Petronas and its financial position.
Khairy said the briefing was essential to show that the government was not hiding anything from the public.
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