Perak Power Play

Perak power play

enters into Act 2

with two Mentris Besar

performing special functions.

Yesterday(February 7,2009),

newly sworn in Mentri Besar

(Chief Minister or State Governor)

Datuk Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir

acted out his role

with high profile public relation

exercise by attending

Perak Gerakan

Chinese New Year

open house

at Kampung Simee

in Perak's state capital,

Ipoh.

His ousted protagonist,

Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin

chaired special executive council(exco) 

meeting

at Perak's Mentri Besar

official residence

at Jalan Raja di-Hilir

5 km. away at about

the same time.

Nizar claims

he is still

Perak Mentri Besar.

So he is still

using the official residence

and official new Toyota Camry car.

Though ordered

by Perak Sultan Azlan Shah

to go

with his exco members,

he is staying put

where he is.

He states

he is the legitimate

Perak Mentri Besar

and Zambry is "illegal".

This is because

he has not quit

with no due legal

process to remove him

at proper formal sitting

of Perak State Asssembly

where no confidence vote

has to be tabled and passed

against his leadership.

Zambry has no alternative

but to operate from 

his own house.

At the special exco meeting,

Nizar and exco members

extended industrial plots

land lease from present

30-60 years to

99 years.

They also approved 342 new councillors

for Perak's 15 local councils.

They revived Ipoh airport

for use by low-cost carrier

Firefly

to operate flights

to Singapore and Subang.

Nizar stresses 

he would report

for work again

next Tuesday

(February 10,2009)

as Tuesday is

his Mentri Besar

meet the people

weekly session.

Meanwhile,

police reports

have been lodged

against Nizar

and People Alliance

leaders for questioning

the rights of

the Malay rulers

by United Malays National Organization

(UMNO) leaders.

The UMNO leaders

including UMNO vice-president

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin

criticized People Alliance

leaders for disrespect

of the Perak sultan.

They claimed

Nizar could be charged

under Sedition Act for

refusing to follow

the ruler's order.

DAP Chairman

Karpal Singh's threat

to file legal suit

against the sultan

to remind him

to comply with

Perak Constitution

was described by

Muhyiddin as

"act of treason".

Perak political temperature

hots up with 

Malaysia's former Prime

Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

joining the fray.

Mahathir,famous

for curbing the excesses

of royalty and exercise

of royal assent,

states tongue in cheek

that many Malays

are supporting Karpal

but "Inilah Melayu moden,

saya ni orang tua (These are

modern Malays, I'm just an old man)".

He stresses 

Perak State Assembly 

should have met and decided

on a vote of no confidence

against Nizar

as "this is the only way

to bring down a government".

He adds "nothing can obstruct

a person from suing" the sultan

but ethically, "it is not good".

In his personal blog,

Mahathir asks

whether UMNO 

is "so desperate"

as to get the support

of two of the three defectors ~

Jamaluddin Mohd(Behrang)

and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu (Changkat Jering)

~ as the duo are facing

corruption charges

in court

linked to land development.

Amid the brewing controversy,

National Front faces

tough political act.

Already,nine protestors

have been arrested by police

for alleged rioting

at mass public outrage

to block swearing in

of Zambry at Perak's royal town,

Kuala Kangsar,two days ago.

Perak UMNO

and 12 Malay NGOs

are also gearing up

to organize counter protests

with yellow armbands

as sign of loyalty

to show appreciation

and loyalty to 

Perak ruler.

Now National Front

holds political dynamite

with almost all Malay 

Perak government face.

All,except one, Dr.Mah Hang Soon

(BN-MCA - Chenderiang),of

its 28 state assemblymen are Malays

in multi-racial Perak.

There is no Indian state assemblyman

in its Perak line-up.

This is in sharp contrast to 

People Alliance multi-racial 

representation with Perak

State Assembly Speaker

V.Sivakumar.

All Indian representatives

put up by National Front

via Malaysian Indian Congress(MIC) 

in Perak were defeated in 

historic political tsunami

at March 8,2008

General Election.

People Alliance

then captured 

five out of 13 states

of Malaysia.

National Front

lost its two-third

majority in

Malaysia's Parliament

50 years after Independence

on August 31,1957.

The disastrous defeat

and losses in the five states

precipitated UMNO leaders'

pressure on Prime Minister

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

to step down next month

ahead of his earlier planned

exit.

MIC President S Samy Vellu

also lost his Sungei Siput safe

parliamentary seat in Perak

in massive people power

backlash over five Hindraf

leaders' detention without trial

under draconian 

Internal Security Act(ISA).

At its last sitting

on November 14,2008 at 4 pm,

the Perak State Assembly

had passed motion

calling upon the 

Federal Government

to abolish the ISA

and free all detainees

at Kamunting detention centre

located in Taiping, Perak. 

National Front

has lost further

public support

in two by-elections

in Permatang Puah

and Kuala Trengganu

since the March 8 debacle. 

Now with

the Perak Constitutional Crisis

steaming hot 

with public outrage,

Perak state government

is world's big laughing stock

as two rival political state chiefs

~ one newly sworn in and the other

ousted but crying foul ~ 

claim legitimacy

of their leadership.

So Dummies,

hold on to your seats to

watch more stirring scenes

and seething waves of protests 

as hung Perak State Assembly

of 28 National Front

versus 

28 People Alliance

state assemblymen

slug it out 

with three unreliable

independent defectors

holding disputed seats

and the balance of power. 

What is the moral?

"Toppling an elected

popular government

is no simple frog 

hop party play.

Losing the people

trust is worse then

winning the sultan

consent."