PETALING JAYA, 11 May 2009: The Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah, is empowered by the Perak constitution to decide on a request by the menteri besar to dissolve the state assembly. Tommy Thomas Constitutional lawyer Tommy Thomas said that Article 15 under Part II of the state constitution stipulated that the regent could […]
Tommy Thomas
Might is not always right
By Deborah LohTHE Perak legislative assembly sitting on 7 May was the final act in the power grab by Barisan Nasional (BN). Three months after wresting the Perak government from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR), the BN yesterday finally grabbed the all-important speaker’s chair as the sitting descended into chaos. ZambryNow, instead of having two contentious state governments […]
Courts shouldn’t interfere in parliamentary matters
By Zedeck SiewKUALA LUMPUR, 25 April 2009: The judiciary should not function as a court of appeal for matters of Parliament, as this would violate core democratic doctrines, a constitutional lawyer said today. Speaker V Sivakumar’s legal battles in relation to the Perak political crisis is “best proof that parliamentary matters should not be heard by the […]
Renegotiating “sacred contracts”
By Deborah LohCorrected at 12.50pm on 20 March 2009 (highway pic © drouu / sxc.hu) WHEN toll concession agreements were declassified in January 2009, it was a milestone for the nation because for the first time ever, these contracts could be scrutinised. To the credit of the DAP, its politicians spent hours copying the agreement by hand […]
Zambry wants court to stop unlawful sittings
IPOH, 3 March 2009: Newly-appointed Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and the six state executive councillors (excos) have sought an injunction from the High Court to prevent any unlawful sittings of the state legislative assembly. They filed the application at 8.30am through counsel Firoz Hussien Ahmad Jamaluddin, Datuk Hafarizam Harun, Badrul Hishah […]
Tommy Thomas’s full statement
IPOH, 3 March 2009: This morning, the Ipoh High Court ruled that the lawyers engaged by Perak Speaker V Sivakumar had no locus standi to represent him. Tommy Thomas and several other lawyers were engaged by Sivakumar to represent him in a case filed by newly-appointed Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and six […]
Proposed law against unfair public contracts
By Jacqueline Ann Surin(© Roland Maier / sxc.hu) PETALING JAYA, 19 February 2009: A constitutional and corporate lawyer has called for the enactment of an Unfair Public Contracts Act that will allow for lopsided concession agreements to be reviewed. Tommy Thomas said having such a law would make it compulsory for contracts which are against the public’s interest […]
By-election not required if crossovers occur
By Tommy ThomasI WOULD like to elaborate on the comments I made during the course of my telephone conversations with The Nut Graph senior journalist Deborah Loh which was posted in Hard for PKR duo to contest resignations on 2 Feb 2009. Two separate matters call for discussion: first, the legal effect of an undated resignation letter […]
Hard for PKR duo to contest resignations
By Deborah LohPETALING JAYA, 2 Feb 2009: It will be hard for the two former Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) assemblypersons in Perak to challenge their own pre-signed, undated resignation letters, a constitutional lawyer said today. Jamaluddin Mat Radzi, the assemblyperson for Behrang, and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu, the assemblyperson for Changkat Jering, can deny having sent the […]
Grand coalition not feasible
By Zedeck Siew(Source: sxc.hu) REFLECTING on the 37-year history of the Barisan Nasional (BN), it is easy to conclude that there is some worth in grand coalitions and their ability to demonstrate political strength and unity. In the aftermath of the 8 March 2008 general election, there have been calls by some for the formation of a […]
