Perak Political Twists

Perak political twists

spark mass public protests

as Perak constitutional crisis

brews.

The tin 0re-rich state

now has historic hung

Perak State Assembly.

Until 11 pm last night

(February 5,2009)

people,by the thousands,

took to the streets

to express outrage

at latest turns of political

events in Perak's state capital,

Ipoh.

This follows decision

by Perak Sultan Azlan Shah

to exercise his royal prerogative

not to consent to advice of

his Mentri Besar(Chief Minister or State Governor)

Datuk Seri Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin 

to dissolve 

Perak State Assembly

and hold 

fresh elections.

Instead,the sultan

sacks Nizar and his

executive council members

paving the way

for National Front 

to recapture Perak

state with three defectors

from the People Alliance.

Nizar and his men,

told to surrender keys

to their offices 

and new official Toyota Camry

cars by State Secretary

Datuk Dr. Abdul Rahman Hashim,

are locked out of

the State Secretariat,

cordoned off

by Federal Reserve Unit(FRU)

riot police.

They have refused

to accept the reality

of their fall from grace

with Nizar pledging

to organize waves

of protests

and

fight to the last drops

of his blood.

These latest bitter 

political twists

take place as

Malaysia's Prime Minister-designate

Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak

turns the table 

on arch political rival

Former Deputy Prime Minister

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The facts are:-

*National Front now

wins royal assent of 

Perak Sultan

to form new 

Perak government

with support of

three defectors ~

Perak State Assembly

Deputy Speaker Hee Yit Foong

(DAP - Jelapang),

Jamaluddin Radzi (PKR - Behrang)

and

Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu(PKR - Changkat Jering);

*National Front and People Alliance

both have equal number of Perak State

Assembly seats at 28 seats each. But with

the three defectors pledging support as

Independents to National Front,the National

Front claims a thin three-seat majority margin

in the hung Perak State Assembly;

*After 

Datuk Seri Mohd Najib, who presented

the National Front 

state assemblymen and three

defectors

and outgoing Prime Minister

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,who

recommended the

new Perak Mentri Besar

till late yesterday afternoon(February 5,2009)

at successive audiences

with Perak Sultan Azlan Shah,

the Sultan has invoked

Article XVI (6)

of Perak Darul Ridzuan 

State Constitution

deciding

not to dissolve

Perak State Assembly

and

hold fresh state election;

*Sultan 

recognizes

National Front's "majority"

and dismisses

Nizar and his Exco members;

and

*Today (February 6,2009)

he is scheduled

to swear in 

Datuk Dr.Zambry Abd.Kadir (BN - Pangkor)

as the new Perak Mentri Besar

at 3.30 pm at Istana Iskandariah

at Perak's royal town,

Kuala Kangsar.

Hence, the People Alliance's government

has a short-lived 10 months' rule

in Perak after 

hard-earned victory

at March 8,2008

General Election.

Meanwhile,enraged Nizar

has called for

boycott of People Alliance

representatives invited

to attend this afternoon's

swearing in.

The political twists

are dynamite

for series of legal suits

and public protests.

Already,Perak State Assembly

Speaker V. Sivakumar

has filed suit in High Court

to declare seats of Changkat Jering,

Behrang and Jelapang vacant.

He contends the resignation letters

of the three defectors are valid.

The Election Commission(EC), he claims,

has erred in law by rejecting the trio's

resignation and his request in his capacity

as Perak State Assembly Speaker to EC 

to call for by-elections.

Former de facto Law Minister

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim,who had earlier resigned

from Abdullah's Cabinet,

and 

Democratic Action Party(DAP)'s chairman

Karpal Singh

have pointed

to urgent need to 

outlaw party hopping

and political defections.

Perak State Assembly

Deputy Speaker Hee Yit Foong

has been condemned

as the first highly placed DAP member

to betray the public trust

and cause historic fall

of Opposition-led People Alliance

Perak government.

Meanwhile,People Alliance

de facto leader

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,

wants to seek an audience

with the Perak Sultan

together with PAS President

Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang

and DAP adviser

Lim Kit Siang to pay respects

and urge the sultan

to comply with the people's wishes.

But facts are facts.

National Front

has outmaneuvered

People Alliance to seize

control of Perak State Assembly

and government again  ~ 

thanks to the defectors.

People Alliance

has to blame

its so-called trusted lieutenants

for succumbing

to temptations

of better offers

of whatever kind

that caused

their defections.

So dummies

better learn fast

from Perak precious

political pyrotechnics.

What's the moral?

Only choose

principled political

fighters, reject

political animals.