Behrang rep is now an Independent (Updated)

(Updated 9:26pm; 3 Feb 2009)

IPOH, 3 Feb 2009: Behrang’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) assemblyperson Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi today declared himself to be an independent following the party sending a letter of his resignation to Perak state assembly speaker, V Sivakumar.

He said by the action, he deemed PKR no longer wanted him.

When contacted by the press, Jamaluddin said he could not do anything about the action taken by the PKR leadership.

He said it appeared as though the PKR had “discarded” him because the letter was sent without any prior discussions with him.

Jamaluddin, 52, said although he was disappointed by the action taken by his party’s leadeship, he was not thinking of joining any other party for now.

“I am not thinking about joining any other party for now, my focus is to give the best service possible to my constituents,” said Jamaluddin, who won the Behrang seat by garnering 6,771 votes to defeat Datuk M Ramasamy of the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the general election held last March. Ramasamy polled 5,744 votes.

Sivakumar on 1 Feb had announced that Jamaluddin and Changkat Jering assemblyperson Mohd Osman Jailu, also from PKR, had submitted resignation letters but the Election Commission (EC) today declared they were still the elected reps for the two seats and no by-elections would be called.

EC chair Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusuf said this was because there were doubts about the resignation letters in the case as Mohd Osman and Jamaluddin had also written to the EC that they were not resigning.

Osman, who has been “missing” along with Jamaluddin since 26 Jan, could not be contacted.

Jamaluddin, 52, is also the state executive councillor for Entrepreneur Development, Cooperatives, Agriculture and Plantations while Osman, 57, for Tourism, Human Development and Non-Governmental Organisations.

The duo also have been charged with corruption involving approval for a RM180 development project in Seri Iskandar and hearing is due to begin in the Sessions Court here on 10 Feb.

If the two assemblypersons are no longer with the PKR, the Pakatan Rakyat coalition government in Perak comprising of PAS, DAP and PKR will be left with only 30 seats, while the BN has 27 seats. The BN which won 28 seats in the general election lost one when Bota assemblyperson Datuk Nasaruddin Hashim joined PKR on 25 Jan.

Jamaluddin, when denying he had sent his resignation letter to Sivakumar yesterday, also said he had not gone missing but was on sick leave.

Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman also lodged police reports yesterday through their representatives regarding their seats being declared vacant by the Speaker and today Perak police chief Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah said police had commenced investigations into their complaints.

In KUALA LUMPUR, PKR secretary-general Datuk Salehuddin Hashim had earlier dismissed speculation that the two assemblypersons had left the party. — Bernama