IPOH, 2 Sept 2009: Members of the Perak state assembly from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) today had a state assembly sitting at the Heritage Hotel here and “passed three resolutions”.
The resolutions were to endorse the rights and privileges committee reports of 27 July 2009 and 12 Aug 2009, and the appointments for three committees for the new term. The three committees are the rights and privileges committee, the public accounts committee and the standing orders committee.
The third resolution was an emergency resolution to condemn police action in preventing PR state assemblypersons from entering Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan to hold a state assembly sitting.
The first resolution was mooted by Changkat Jong elected representative, Mohd Anuar Sudin; the second by Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin (Pasir Panjang); and the emergency resolution by Nga Kor Ming (Pantai Remis).
The meeting lasted two hours from 11.45am and was attended by all 24 PR assemblypersons except for three who were detained earlier and the Titi Serong state assemblyperson, Khalil Idham Lim Abdullah, who was performing the umrah.
The meeting also saw preparations for the seating of Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblypersons on the left of the speaker while PR assemblypersons from the
DAP, PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) sat on the right of the speaker to denote they were the ruling government.
The meeting was chaired by embattled Perak Speaker S Sivakumar, and was adjourned at 1.37pm.
The resolutions
The first resolution was to endorse the report of the rights and privileges committee appointed by the PR that among others suspended BN-installed Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir for three months from the state assembly. The committee also fined Zambry RM250,000 on the grounds that he had attended a state assembly sitting on 7 May although he was suspended before that.
Besides Zambry, the committee also suspended senior executive councillor Datuk Hamidah Osman, who is the Sungai Rapat assemblyperson, for the same period and fined her the same amount. It was also proposed that Deputy Speaker Hee Yit Foong be imprisoned for six months and fined RM500,000.
On 27 July 2009, the committee proposed that BN-installed Speaker Datuk R Ganesan be imprisoned for six months and fined RM500,000 for holding the post of speaker illegally in the 7 May Perak state assembly sitting.
The resolution by Mohammad Nizar was passed without debate while the emergency resolution by Nga was debated by four assemblypersons before it was passed.
The sitting, that Sivakumar called, was held at the hotel after police barred him and the PR assemblypersons from entering the state assembly hall located in Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan earlier in the morning.
At a news conference later, Mohammad Nizar, when asked if the PR assemblypersons would attend a sitting called by Ganesan, said Ganesan had no right to call for a sitting.
“So a notice to convene a sitting is illegal,” he said.
“Sowing confusion”
Zambry accused the PR of trying to sow confusion and create an atmosphere of uneasiness among the people by its actions today.
“They are trying to make their own laws and implementing them to shiok
sendiri…they show total disrespect to the democratic system in the country.
“What they did was to provoke the police…they asked to be arrested and if possible, handcuffed so that it can be published in newspapers. They will then claim they are being oppressed,” he said.
Ganesan has also issued a statement charging that today’s sitting was not valid as Sivakumar was no longer the speaker. — Bernama
Moin says
Party-hopping should be condemned to the fullest. Candidates must put party loyalty before anything else and should the circumstances arise whereby party hoppers are allowed to hop to other parties, they should reliquish all existing party and electoral rights and may choose to be with their new party. They should remain so until the next elections where the people shall then decide whom they want to elect. People’s court is truly the highest court in this world!