Corrected on 13 March 2009 at 12.30am
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Speaker V Sivakumar (File pic courtesy of Merdeka Review)
IPOH, 6 March 2009: Lawyers representing Perak legislative assembly Speaker V Sivakumar today filed an appeal against the Ipoh High Court decision declaring the Speaker’s own lawyers as having no locus standi to represent him.
One of them, Leong Cheok Keng, said the notice of appeal was filed at the High Court here as well as the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya by counsel Philip Koh.
“The Speaker had been denied the right to his choice of counsel and I think it is a matter serious enough for the Court of Appeal to deliberate on,” he told reporters.
Yesterday, Judicial Commissioner (corrected) Ridwan Ibrahim ruled that the Speaker could only be represented by the state legal adviser in the suits brought by 10 members of the state assembly including newly-appointed Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.
Zambry and six state executive councillors (excos) – Datuk Ramly Zahari, Datuk Saarani Mohamad, Hamidah Osman, Zainol Fadzi Paharuddin, Mohd Zahir Abdul Khalid and Dr Mah Hang Soon – are seeking a declaration that the Speaker’s decision in suspending them is null and void.
There independent lawmakers – Jamaluddin Md Radzi, Capt (R) Mohd Osman Jailu and Hee Yit Foong – also want the court to declare that their Behrang, Changkat Jering and Jelapang seats are not vacant and that they are still legitimate elected representatives.
In another development, Sivakumar did not turn up at the Perak police contingent headquarters this morning to have his statement recorded following a report against him for suspending Zambry and the six excos.
Ipoh Barat Member of Parliament M Kulasegaran and lawyer Anthony Augustin were there to say that the Speaker was on leave outside Perak.
Sivakumar has also been summoned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission over the suspensions. — Bernama
