KUALA KANGSAR, 6 Feb 2009: Pangkor state assemblyperson Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir was today sworn in as the new Perak Menteri Besar before the Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah at Istana Iskandariah, at 4.02 pm here.
With that, the Barisan Nasional (BN) officially took over the Perak state administration.
The swearing-in ceremony took place amid refusals by the former Pakatan Rakyat government to accept the reality that it was no longer in power.
All 28 Pakatan Rakyat assemblypersons boycotted the ceremony, and their supporters staged a demonstration outside the Ubudiah Mosque, just 300m from the palace.
Some among the crowd were seen hurling sticks and bottles at the police and vehicles passing through Jalan Istana.
Zambry’s appointment effectively ended Perak’s political impasse, with the Pakatan Rakyat government losing its majority in the state legislative assembly when four of its assemblypersons left the coalition three days ago.
Yesterday, the Sultan of Perak decided not to grant consent to the Pakatan Rakyat government’s request to dissolve the state legislative assembly. He instead ordered Menteri Besar Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin and his executive council to step down immediately.
The Sultan ruled that if Mohammad Nizar and his executive council refused to do so, the posts of Menteri Besar and executive councillors would be regarded as vacant. — Bernama
To be updated
