PUTRAJAYA, 19 Feb 2009: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi regards Perak state assembly speaker V Sivakumar’s suspension of Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and his executive councillors as being equivalent to opposing the decision of Sultan Azlan Shah.
Abdullah, who is also BN chairperson, said the Perak government under Zambry would continue to function and administer the state as required by the people and as the legitimate government.
“The speaker cannot bar them. The menteri besar and the state executive councillors have already been appointed by the sultan and were already sworn in before the sultan. They were legally appointed.
“So, any kind of suggestion and action taken by the speaker, to me, would be regarded as not respecting the decision that has been made by the sultan of Perak,” he told reporters after launching the Humanitarian Fund for the children of Gaza at Seri Perdana here today.
Sivakumar, of the DAP, announced yesterday that Zambry and his executive councillors were suspended from the state assembly for 18 months and 12 months respectively.
The BN took over the state government when an assemblyperson from the DAP and two from Parti Keadilan Rakyat left their respective parties to become “BN-friendly” independent assemblypersons.
Zambry took his oath of office on 6 Feb, while the six executive councillors were sworn in four days later.
Wong Kah Woh, the DAP assemblyperson for Canning, lodged a complaint to the Rights and Privileges Committee, that the swearing-in ceremony contravened the state constitution, and was in contempt of the assembly as the 10th Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin had not officially resigned.
Sivakumar said that after deliberating the complaint, the committee found that Zambry and his executive council were in contempt of the assembly. — Bernama
tongkatmusa says
It looks as if the Perak DUN Speaker has more power over and above his own Sultan in that he could even nullify the appointment made by the Sultan by suspending the new MB and his exco. Whatever is the DUN Speaker’s interpretation of the law or whoever is advising him, it is ludicrous and absurd.
DUN Speaker Siva even thinks that he too has the power to declare a DUN seat vacant and to command SPR to hold a by-election on an unsigned letter purported to be the resignation letters of two DUN members.
By the looks of it, he thinks that he is above not only the Sultan but also the chair[person] of the Election Commission.
My view of his recent act of suspending the new MB and his exco is that it is a direct challenge against the authority of the Sultan and he could be liable to be detained under the ISA for undermining national security if not charged under section 121A of the Penal Code.
Assoc Prof Dr Abdul Rani Bin Kamarudin
Law lecturer IIUM
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Speaker DUN Perak seolah-olahnya mempunyai kuasa mengatasi dan melebihi Sultannya sendiri sehingga boleh menggantungkan MB Dato Zambry dan exconya yang dilantik Sultan. Apapun tafsirannya dan siapapun penasihat undang-undangnya, ianya tafsiran yang peilk dan janggal.
Speaker DUN Perak Siva juga berfahaman bahawa dia juga berkuasa mengistiharkan mana-mana kerusi DUN kosong dan juga berhak mengarahkan SPR mengadakan pilihanraya kecil berdasarkan surat yang tiada bertarikh kononnya dua kerusi DUN adalah kosong.
Nampaknya, Speaker DUN Perak bukan sahaja mengatasi kuasa Sultan bahkan mengatasi kuasa pengerusi SPR juga.
Pada pandangan saya, tindakan Speaker DUN Perak menggantungkan MB baru dan exconya adalah suatu tindakan mencabar kedaulatan dan titah Sultan dan suatu perbuatan yang membolehkannya ditangkap dan ditahan dibawah ISA kerana menggangu-gugat keselamatan negara atau didakwa dibawah seksyen 121A Kanun Keseksaan.
Prof Madya Dr Abdul Rani Bin Kamarudin
Pensyarah Undang-undang IIUM
Shane says
Who cares who is right or wrong…..(there is always 2 sides to a coin)…this “problem” will go on and on….tit for tat.
Economic problems are right at our doorsteps…a more pressing issue to me than what is currently going on politically.
Let the people decide once and for all la….senang saja….otherwise we will be a laughing stock of the world.