Nizar seeks audience with Sultan Perak

IPOH: Reinstated Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin left from the state secretariat building here at 7:45am Tuesday for Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar for a royal investiture ceremony.

He is expected to seek royal consent from the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah, to dissolve the State Legislative Assembly to pave the way for fresh state elections.

His aide Amran Harun, delivered a formal letter informing the palace of Nizar’s wish for an audience with the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, to seek his royal consent to dissolve the Assembly. The letter was delivered at 8:20am.

Pakatan Rakyat state executive councillors had started gathering at the so-called “democracy tree” where the March 3 “under the tree” Assembly sitting took place as early as 7:30am.

As soon as Nizar arrived, the group moved towards the state secretariat building where they were temporarily denied entry by police who said they were acting under the instructions of State Secretary Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Hashim.

There was a heavy police presence at the building, with some of them in riot gear.

Nizar, who was declared the rightful mentri besar by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday, had actually suspended Abdul Rahman, although the letter of suspension had not been served yet.

The Pakatan group was finally allowed in after a few minutes. Also accompanying them were Ipoh Barat Member of Parliament M. Kulasegaran and V. Sivakumar, who was ousted as Speaker in the May 7 State Assembly sitting whose validity is now under question.

Suspension letters were served to both Abdul Rahman and State Legal Adviser Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid at about 8:15am.

On Monday, High Court (Appellate and Special Powers) judge Justice Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahim had granted a declaratory relief to Nizar that he is still and was mentri besar at all material times.

The court, which issued a declaratory relief that Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir had no right to occupy the office of Perak Mentri Besar, also ordered him to show cause and give information under what policy, power or authority he allegedly held office and exercised the responsibilities, functions and duties as mentri besar. (thestar)

Meanwhile, MIC politician R Ganesan has been reported as saying the Umno-BN would hold an emergency sitting of the state assembly to legally vote out Nizar.

As Ganesan is not an elected representative, perhaps it is understandable that he did not grasp the significance of Monday’s ruling, which invalidates the existence of the Zambry Kadir administration right from day one.

However, Nizar has said he will not automatically revoke all decisions entered into by Zambry ,but these will have to be subjected to review. The exception will be the controversial May 7 sitting, during Ganesan was illegally voted in as Umno-BN’s Speaker of the assembly.

“As far as we are concerned, they have no right to call for an assembly. How can they call for a sitting when they don’t have the legitimacy to do so?” he had said to reporters at a meeting conducted in the wee hours of this morning.

Should the Pakatan agree to a sitting, they would control the 59-seat assembly by 28 to Umno-BN’s 21 as 10 lawmakers, including Zambry, are still in suspension for between 12 to 18 months after breaching House rules.

Despite the advantage, Pakatan has promised to dissolve the assembly and call for the fresh election that Perak folk have clamoured for.

State secretary Abdul Rahman Hashim and state legal advisor Ahmad Kamal Shahid were also suspended by Nizar for gross unprofessional conduct. The pair - along with Jelapang assemblywoman Hee Yit Foong, Changkat Jering’s Mohd Osman Jailu and Behrang’s Jamaluddin Radzi - incurred national notoriety for their treacherous behaviour. (tmi)

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Nizar report to work but forced to pray outside

A prayer before beginning entering the state secretariat this morning in Ipoh, MB Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin starting his day with his followers. - Reuters pic

By Shannon Teoh

IPOH — At 7.34am today, Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin arrived at the State Secretariat building here to report for work, almost four months after he was forced to vacate his mentri besar office here.

In sharp contrast to the war zone scenario outside the same building last Thursday, everything was calm and orderly this morning despite heavy police presence.

The entrance to the building is now blocked by FRU barriers and one side of the road in front is closed to traffic.

By the time Nizar arrived, most of his exco were already there. He walked to the entrance, led some prayers outside and then went inside.

Pakatan Rakyat Speaker V. Sivakumar was also there.

About 10 minutes later, Nizar left the building after clocking in as mentri besar, a ruling made by the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday.

His next appointment is with the Perak Regent, Raja Nazrin Shah. (tmi)

In another glaring example of what’s wrong with Malaysia under Prime Minister Najib Razak, Perak police continued to act as guardians of the political interests of his Umno-BN, rather than as safe-keepers of the rakyat or maintainers of the law.

On Tuesday morning, Pakatan Rakyat leaders including Menteri Besar Nizar Jamaluddin were initially denied entry into the state secretariat complex, although the High Court had a day ago declared Nizar the rightful chief minister.

While cars of other civil service employees were freely allowed into the Perak Darul Ridwan building, Nizar and his exco team were made to enter on foot!

As Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim rightly stressed on Monday, the separation of powers between the executive, the judiciary and legislative must be clearly defined and all parties especially the federal apparatus, such as the police, the civil service and the courts, must behave professionally at all times.

Nevertheless, in a show of goodwill, the ever-resilient Nizar did not protest the shabby treatment meted out to him and his executive councillors. But before entering - to offer thanks and to seek blessings for a safe outcome - he and team held prayers by the roadside. (SK)

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Zambry forced to reverse media restrictions as Pakatan slams Perak police, state secretary

Anwar speaking at the joint press conference with PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang (left) and DAP’s Lim Kit Siang. - Picture by Choo Choy May

UPDATED

By Debra Chong

IPOH- The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) today accused the police and the Perak state secretary of partisanship ahead of the May 7 state assembly sitting, even as the mentri besar slipped into damage control mode in the fallout from an earlier decision to restrict media coverage.

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim noted that the state secretary had “seemingly taken over the duties” of the speaker, including deciding which media organisations were allowed to enter the assembly.

But even as Anwar was speaking here at a joint press conference together with PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang and the DAP’s Lim Kit Siang, Perak mentri besar Datuk Zambry Abd Kadir announced he had rescinded the restrictions in a posting on his blog.

Zambry claimed to have had no hand in the decision to restrict the number of media organisations covering the state assembly, but he suggested it was made because of space constraints.

“In the name of press freedom I have asked the information department to allow all mainstream media representatives to cover (the assembly). This includes the new media, including our blogger friends,” the Perak MB wrote.

Last week, the Perak Information Department issued a circular listing down which media organisations were allowed to send their reporters and cameramen to cover the state assembly sitting, leaving out a number of newspapers and also the online media.

The decision to restrict the number of media organisations has drawn a major outcry and has damaged Zambry’s attempts to win backing for his government.

The DAP’s Lim, speaking at the press conference here, said: “I think it is clear these people have no respect for the media.”

He accused Zambry of having something to hide and “for turning the assembly into a security prison.”

Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, who still maintains he is the mentri besar, was also present at today’s press conference, told reporters he had received a request from the police to attend a special briefing tomorrow.

He noted it was the first time the police had ever organised such a briefing.

Nizar said all PR lawmakers would boycott the briefing. (TMI)

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Muhyiddin tells MIC to stop grousing

KUALA LUMPUR, – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today stopped short, barely, of giving a public dressing down to the MIC by pointing out that Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties should respect the prime minister’s Cabinet choices and not air their grouses publicly.

The deputy prime minister was commenting on reports over the weekend that the MIC was unhappy with Cabinet appointments and was considering pulling out its representatives from the government.

The Malaysian Insider understands the threat against the BN leadership was a result of Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu’s exclusion from the Cabinet. The unpopular MIC president is unhappy that he was snubbed while Gerakan president Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon was made a minister through a senatorial appointment.

Muhyiddin told reporters today that dissatisfaction over Cabinet appointments should not be openly discussed as it could be exploited as fodder by the opposition, suggesting the frailties of the BN government against unrelenting attacks from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and other critics of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s fledgling administration.

He added that he has also spoken to the deputy president of MIC, who has denied the party had discussed such a move.

Muhyiddin said there was no need for the matter to be brought up to the BN because the MIC president could always meet the prime minister.

Muhyiddin was speaking to the press after handing over duties at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry to Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, who is the new minister.

Of late there has been intense speculations in the press that MIC president Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu was considering pulling out Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam and deputy ministers Datuk S.K. Devamany and Datuk M. Saravanan, from the Cabinet.

The move is seen as a means to pressure the new administration to give the party more Cabinet positions. (TMI)

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Ibrahim Ali hints the possibility of rejoining UMNO

KOTA BARU, – Pasir Mas Member of Parliament Datuk Ibrahim Ali said today he was not in a hurry to apply to join Umno and instead would wait for the party to make the first move.

“I will not propose to Umno, but I will think about it if Umno proposes to me. I have no idea when that is going to happen,” he said when asked to comment whether he wanted to remain as the sole independent MP or return to Umno.

Ibrahim, whose Umno membership has been suspended for life, said that he would think about it carefully should Umno want him back in the party.

“A decision taken hastily can lead to one’s downfall,” he said after opening the annual general meeting of the Kelantan People’s Action Council here.

Ibrahim, 57, was stripped of his post as the Pasir Mas Umno division chief in November 2003 and later suspended for life after he contested as an independent candidate in the May 2004 general election.

He had previously said that he would make a “shocking political move” but would wait for former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to make his first.

Dr Mahathir rejoined Umno last week. – Bernama

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Zaid - Dr Mahathir is unwanted !

KUALA LUMPUR, — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had no effect on the April 7 by-elections and this shows that people do not want him anymore, says Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

The former law minister, who has had a running feud with the former prime minister since his move last year to compensate judges sacked by Dr Mahathir in the 1987 judicial crisis, said this in an interview on the “Fairly Current Show”, a short programme that aired on the Internet yesterday.

Zaid, who is widely expected to join Pakatan Rakyat — most likely PKR — soon, also added that his former party, Umno, was too weak to stand up to Dr Mahathir and members were afraid of being ousted like Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who stepped down as prime minister last week after years of criticism by his predecessor Dr Mahathir.

"There were thousands of people in Sungai Petani they say, but clearly there was no effect," he said of Dr Mahathir's stop in Bukit Selambau in a two-stop blitz that included Bukit Gantang on the last day of campaigning in the by-elections.

PR, in fact, increased its majority in the two seats which, Zaid said, was an indicator of Dr Mahathir's unpopularity.

"He feels that people still want him. This is the problem with strongmen who some call dictators. Sometimes, they don't know they are surrounded by people who tell them their leadership is still needed," he said.

He added that it was the same throughout history, citing Suharto, the former president of Indonesia, and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, who also "do not know when they are unwanted".

However, in a recent blog posting, Dr Mahathir continued to insist that Abdullah was still "entirely responsible for all the ills" in Barisan Nasional which led to the electoral defeats as "a leader plays a big role especially in Malaysia and the quality of his leadership affects the behaviour and performance of his subordinates."

Zaid also mocked the idea that Umno wanted its longest-serving president back.

"It is not that Umno wants to take him back but he wants to rejoin. But nobody is brave enough to stop him. This shows Umno is very weak and its leaders are not brave enough to stand up to him because they are afraid of ending up like Pak Lah," he said of Abdullah, who was handpicked by Dr Mahathir but then suffered years of harsh criticism from him.

Zaid cited, as an example, the fact that Khairy Jamaluddin, Abdullah's son-in-law, won comfortably ahead of Dr Mahathir's son Datuk Mukhriz in the Umno Youth chief contest because "he interfered. If not it would be a tougher fight".

Zaid and Dr Mahathir most recently clashed in a war of words over the appointment of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime minister, with Dr Mahathir calling Zaid's plea to the King not to appoint Najib "very stupid". (TMI)

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Several UMNO leaders under probe

KUALA LUMPUR : Several Umno leaders are being investigated for alleged involvement money politics in the run-up to the Umno General Assembly last week, a member of the party's Disciplinary Board Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas (pix) said today.

He said the probe was carried out by officers of the board's investigation unit.

"I don't have the detail but I am made to understand that there are indeed investigations being carried out on a number of cases, including on those holding top posts," he said.

He was speaking to reporters after tabling a working paper at the "Anti Corruption Summit - Zero Tolerance for Corruption" organised by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute and Transparency International Malaysia here.

Megat Najmuddin said he was not directly involved in the investigation because board members cannot be the investigators, prosecutors and jurists at the same time.

He said action would be taken on anyone found to have breached party discipline.

"If we have proof we will call them to testify but we need strong evidence otherwise it will be difficult for us to act," he said.

He also said that there was nothing wrong with treating a person to a meal or paying for someone's fuel as long as there was no ulterior motives in doing so.

"The amount of bribe is not important. The measure of culpability lies in the intention. If you give RM50 to buy votes, it is political corruption or money politics," he said.

Megat Najmuddin also welcome Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's proposal to restructure the Umno Disciplinary Board to strengtnening it further. -- BERNAMA

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By Election - LLoud support for both sides

By Debra Chong

TAIPING– After a night of roaring rains, the pale blue sky streaked with feathery white clouds promised a return to the tranquillity that Taiping is named for yesterday morning.

But that peace was soon shattered. The armies (of supporters) for both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) were on the march even before dawn, to reach the nomination centre for the Bukit Gantang by-election battle before 9am.

Streaming in from every slip road and side lane, the supporters and campaigners for the two political giants spiritedly shouted slogans, sang songs and waved their party flags wildly in the air, though some wore it cloaked to keep off the early morning chill, made colder the closer they got to the town council office at the foothills of the famed Lake Gardens.

Hemmed in by the court complex on one side and the district offices on the other, the PR party on Jalan Kota soon resembled a religious Mardi Gras.

The party song blared on repeat through someone’s speakers while other revellers took up the battle cry of “AllahuAkbar” and “Takbir” at intervals. Bands of masked men, women and children sporting Pas candidate Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin’s face on cardboard, wandered about freely, snapping pictures on their camera phones even as a helicopter circled overhead and closer to the ground, small flocks of switftlets twitted merrily as they chased each other above the rooftops.

Two streets away, on Jalan Taming Sari, the BN troopers gathered.

Among the sea of Malay faces was a small representation from the Indian Progressive Front (IPF), a small component party in the BN.

Their faces unsmiling, they hefted aloft banners portraying the de facto Perak menteri besar Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir, made larger and held higher than the drooping banner showing the BN candidate Ismail Saffian.

They stayed silent mostly, a sharp contrast to the festivity on the other side.

The quiet was punctuated by sharp cries of “Daulat Tuanku!” and “Hidup Barisan!” by a small band of Malay men wearing dark blue bandanas patterned with the iconic BN scales in white around their heads and a gold sash over their shoulders with the words “Malay Youth Assembly” in Jawi.

Palm-sized button badges featuring Perak ruler Sultan Azlan Shah against a royal yellow background were pinned to one shoulder.

A spokesman who only wanted to be known as Nazri said they were there to defend the crown against “traitors”.

As if on cue, the men began to chant in Malay: “Rise up! Rise up! Fight the traitors!” spurring the listless crowd onwards.

By 9am, the two factions could hardly be contained within the confines of their allocated meeting places. The masses rushed forward, ignoring the policemen on duty at the sidelines.

The PR army swarmed up the slopes to occupy the entire length of hill overlooking the town council office as well as the square.

The BN contingent, meanwhile, had landed themselves in a tight spot. The police had unrolled a length of barbed wire that stretched all the way from the council’s walled fence and across the road all the way to the far side of a playing field in front of the nomination centre. The same cordon kept the PR supporters out of the field on the other side, some 50 metres away.

By 9am though, the ascending sun was beating down on the BN supporters and cast a glare right in their eyes while the PR enjoyed the cool shade between the leafy trees on the high ground.

The temperature rose a notch higher when top BN leaders, led by incoming deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, walked Ismail inside the town council compound.

The PR supporters, squeezed into a tiny plot of land behind the town council office, booed aggressively at the multiracial team where minutes before, they had cheered deafeningly for the equally multiracial team of leaders from the opposition front.

“Bribery! Bribery! Bribery!” they chanted, and failing to rattle the tight group of BN men, who included controversial new Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, switched to yelling out “Altantuya murderer!”

That too did not faze the Umno veterans who merely smiled and waved back at the angry crowd.

Sadly, the BN supporters failed to follow the example set by their leaders. DAP chairman Karpal Singh recounted how he was attacked by a band of unruly Umno supporters who rained filled mineral water bottles at his van while moving through the packed street after taking a wrong turning.

He urged incoming prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to stop what he called “the culture of violence in Umno” to ensure a smooth and clean campaign in the hot parliamentary seat.

Yet the greatest threat to campaigning appears to come not from human hands but divine intervention.

In the afternoon, the sky opened and poured forth another deluge, further swelling the already swollen river and lakes. In some places, it flooded, causing traffic to slow and delay the many dinner talks and post-dinner talks planned for the night.

The torrential rains look likely to continue, hampering the campaign efforts for both sides. Not for nothing is Taiping known as the wettest spot in Malaysia. (TMI)

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PR gives two days ultimatum to Zambryto dissolve Perak SA

KUALA LUMPUR : Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming said today Perak state assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar will call for special assembly meeting if Barisan Nasional (BN) Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir refuses to call for the dissolution of the state assembly within two days.

Datuk Dr Zambry AbdulKadir At a press conference in the parliament lobby today, Nga said Sivakumar had written to Perak Sultan, Sultan Azlan Shah last week requesting His Royal Highness' consent to convent a special assembly meeting.

"According to an opinion poll of Perakians, more than 80% of the voters wish for the assembly to be dissolved to pave way for a fresh elections.

"I urge Zambry to respect democratic system and call for the dissolution of the assembly as this is the only way to end the constitutional crisis in the state," he said.

Nga, who was an executive councillor of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government before the state government fell to the BN, said if Zambry has fails to do so, the PR would move a motion to stop the BN government which is deemed illegal, from using the state money.

"We feel sad for such development because if the state fund cannot be used, the administration of the state government will be affected, so the only (to prevent this) is to call for a fresh election," he added.

Nga also criticised the announcement by Zambry that his legal team was seeking advice from a Queen’s Counsel, on the state crisis.

He descrined Zambry's act to seek opinion from former colonial master – the United Kingdom which ruled the state from 1874 to 1957, as being akin to "a baby crying for his mother although the baby is now almost 52 years old".

Sivakumar"It also shows that Perak Umno does not truly understand that Malaysian constitutional law should be interpreted by Malaysians.

"It does not understand that Malaysia is an independent country and that the best solution is here within the country .... and it is in the ballot box, said Nga who quoted then Raja Azlan Shah (Sultan Azlan Shah now) as saying: ‘Those who find fault with the wisdom of the Act… normally must address themselves to the legislature… they have their remedy at the ballot box."

Nga said the PR government under MB Datuk Seri Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin is confident that there are enough Commonwealth and local case laws which will vindicate the action of the PR to protect and defend the rights of Perakians under the doctrine of constitutional supremacy.
"It is shameful to go back to Ye olde England for help when the answer is at our doorstep," he said.

On Sunday, Mohd Nizar had announced that the PR is planning to move a motion of no confidence against the BN government and a motion to dissolve the assembly in the coming assembly meeting. (TheSun)

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DrM mocks BN over Perak Deadlock

KUALA LUMPUR, – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has ridiculed Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi for asking Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir to lodge a police report against the Perak State Assembly Speaker.

Writing in his popular chedet.cc blog, he said that while it was possible for the Speaker to commit a crime, “the suspension of any assemblyman is not a crime which the police can take action against.”

Known for his acerbic criticism, the former prime minister has been a thorn in Abdullah’s side in recent years.

But in previous remarks, he has also expressed his disapproval over Barisan’s move to court the defections of the two former PKR Perak assemblymen – Osman Jailu and Jamaludin Mohd Radzi.

The resignation from PKR of the two men and their backing for Barisan Nasional (BN) sparked the downfall of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Perak government but it has also drawn criticism because the two men are facing graft charges in court.

In his latest blog post, Dr Mahathir poured scorn on Abdullah’s suggestion for Zambry to lodge a police report against Speaker V Sivakumar over the suspension of the Perak MB and his entire state executive council.

“If the decision of the Speaker can be considered a crime, then what will happen when the Parliamentary Speaker suspends opposition members for whatever reasons?

“And this happens frequently. Will opposition members lodge police reports? If they can, then can we consider the police to have powers over the Parliamentary Speaker?”

The former PM also commented on Zambry’s statement that he would attend the state assembly sitting despite the suspension.

He said that under the legislature’s standing orders, the Speaker can direct officers of the assembly to remove Zambry.

“Also, where will Zambry sit? What if Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin sits in the mentri besar’s chair? Will the Speaker ask his officers to force Nizar to vacate the chair?

“Let us all as citizens watch what happens next.” (TMI)

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Majority of Perakians reject BN - Survey - Malaysiakini

IPOH— If the Barisan Nasional and the Perak royal household had any lingering doubts about negative public sentiment towards the change of the state government, here is a message: doubt no more.

A survey of registered voters in Perak on Feb 8 showed that:

• 74 per cent of the respondents feel that the state assembly should have been dissolved after the defection of the three Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers

• 76 per cent of the respondents felt that the "people, through elections, should decide on who forms the government"

• 62 per cent of the respondents felt that the "role of the palace in this decision" means it does not recognise the will of the people

• 66 per cent of the respondents do not accept state governments formed through the defection of state assemblymen

• 59 per cent of the respondents feel that the political crisis in Perak would decrease support for Barisan Nasional.

Taken together, the poll by the Merdeka Centre suggests that Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and the BN may occupy the seat of government but a significant number of Perakians may not accept their legitimacy to hold power.

The political crisis unfolded in Perak when three Pakatan Rakyat legislators became independents and said that they would back the BN.

This wiped away the three-seat majority which enabled Pakatan Rakyat to rule the state since March last year.

After interviewing the three and the 28 BN representatives, Sultan Azlan Shah decided that BN had the majority in the state assembly. This was a controversial decision given that Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin and Pakatan Rakyat felt that the correct decision should have been for the Ruler to allow for the state assembly to be dissolved for fresh elections.

There is a roiling debate even among lawyers on the Sultan's decision, with the majority saying that he should have either agreed to the dissolution of the House or held off making any decision until a vote of no confidence against Nizar was taken in the assembly.

The survey findings indicate that many Perak voters also feel that the Ruler may have erred.

Some 507 registered voters were interviewed by telephone and the sampling was done randomly. The margin of error was about 4.5 per cent. (TMI)


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Mayhem in Kuala Kangsar

The Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) fires several rounds of tear gas as 3,000 Pakatan Rakyat supporters converge for a protest march about 1km from Iskandariah palace in Kuala Kangsar.

LIVE REPORTS

3.25pm: The situation calms down at the mosque and several people are seen crying.

3.20pm: Police have finally cleared the blockade by the crowd and all cars are able to proceed to Iskandariah Palace.

3.19pm: A vehicle with a yellow (royal) registration plate is pelted with stones by angry supporters.

3.18pm: Tear gas still being fired into the mosque compound. Deputy Premier Najib Abdul Razak's car enters the palace.

3.11pm: A group of protesters are lying on the road to block the passing cars.

3.10pm: FRU personnel manage to remove the bloackade and cars are passing through to the palace.

3.08pm: Tear gas is fired at those blocking the road. The FRU are also arresting those blocking the road.

3.06pm: About 300 people are blocking the road leading to the palace, stopping dignitaries and BN politicians from attending the swearing-in ceremony, which is to kick off at 3.30pm.

3.04pm: The crowd is dispersed. Some are trying to block the road leading to the palace.

3.01pm: FRU charges at the crowd. A handful are seen throwing stones at the police.

2.59pm: More tear gas is fired into the mosque carpark.

2.58pm: Crowd retreats to the mosque.

2.50pm: Another round of tear gas is fired. Crowd refuses to back down with some throwing rocks at the FRU personnel.

2.43pm: Police tells the crowd to disperse.

2.41pm:The crowd swells to about 3,000 with some carrying banners calling on the sultan to dissolve the state assembly. FRU personnel are moving into position.

Earlier report

Some 500 Pakatan Rakyat supporters broke through a police barricade outside the Ubudiah mosque in Kuala Kangsar - about 1km from the Iskandariah Palace - during a protest march this afternoon.

At precisely 2.22pm, the supporters, which included a large group of women, had gathered outside the mosque after Friday prayers.

They had wanted to march from the mosque to the Iskandariah Palace where the swearing in of the new Perak menteri besar is scheduled to take place at 3.30pm.

At 2.26pm, the crowd breaches the police barricade, and at 2.28pm, the police retaliate by firing several rounds of tear gas.

This forced the supporters to retreat back into the mosque.

The police have deployed some 30 Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) and 20 uniformed personnel.

At 2.40pm, the crowd regroups outside the mosque as police sirens are heard blaring in the background. It is learnt that several truckloads of FRU personnel are being deployed to the scene.

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Making Sense Of The Perak Controversy - Malaysiakini

Before embarking on an analysis of the state of play in Perak, it would be of value to consider the objective facts:

Two assemblymen signed undated resignation letters as a condition to their being nominated by their political party for a state election. For this, the party also gave them full support, financial and otherwise. They won their respective seats;
The undated resignation letters were submitted to the speaker of the Legislative Assembly. The Perak Constitution allows members of the assembly the option of resigning their membership “by writing under his hand addressed to the speaker”;
The party opted to submit the resignations of the two assemblymen. It is not apparent what prompted this;

The speaker has accepted the resignations and communicated the fact of the resignations to the Election Commission. The speaker has taken the position and ruled for the purposes of the assembly that the resignations have taken effect and by-elections be held. He will treat the assemblymen as no longer being members of the assembly for the purposes of proceedings in the assembly;

The two assemblymen dispute the validity of the resignation. They do not contend that the resignations letters were not under their hand. They contend that the resignations were procured through duress;

The Election Commission has decided that the resignations are doubtful and as such not true resignations.
From the above, it could be said that the following questions arose when the controversy first erupted:

The legal value or validity of the resignations. There is no authoritative decision of the courts on this point. A 1982 decision of the then Federal Court (Datuk Ong Kee Hui) observed that such resignations could be viewed as being contrary to public policy in view of elections at both the state and federal level being of individuals as opposed to political parties. A question of honouring the wishes of the electorate, that is the electing of the individual as opposed to the party, arises. The Federal Court did not decide on the point as the Member of Parliament concerned did not seek to invalidate the resignation nor had the speaker been joined as a party. The point is as such open to argument.
Whether the resignation letters were procured under duress;
However, these questions have been overtaken by events, in particular the decision of the speaker to accept the resignations and give effect to them. The speaker may be wrong but until he is shown to be wrong through valid process — either in the assembly (to the extent that such process is available) or through the courts — the speaker’s decision must stand.

In this regard, the Election Commission is charged with the conduct of elections. It could be argued that in order to do so, the Election Commission must have the power to determine whether an election is needed in the first place. Where state and federal elections are concerned, this is established by the dissolution of the assemblies and Parliament respectively. However, where casual vacancies (through death, resignations or disqualifications) arise, the situation is more nuanced.

The Perak Constitution (Article 36(5)) provides that a casual vacancy shall be filled within 60 days from the date on which it is established by the Election Commission that there is a vacancy. Vacancies caused by death and disqualifications are easily established. Where the latter is concerned, the matter is decided by the assembly itself, which in law is taken to have final say (save where there is a matter of legal interpretation). In the ordinary course resignations are similarly uncomplicated; the speaker receives the letter of resignation and communicates the fact to the Election Commission which establishes the vacancy based on the speaker’s declaration. From this, it is apparent that the vacancy is established by reference to the position taken by the speaker. This is consistent with the basic principle of parliamentary democracy that it is the speaker who regulates the assembly.

The question that arises is therefore whether this process is derailed by a dispute as to the validity of the resignation. In my view, it should not be, and the Election Commission must act accordingly. I say this for two main reasons. First, the scheme explained above.

Secondly, it is not for the Election Commission to embark on a fact-finding or adjudicative process as, amongst other things, it does not have the power to do so. In denying the position the speaker has taken, the Election Commission is in effect asserting that that the speaker is wrong. The Election Commission cannot do so. If there is a question as to the correctness of the speaker’s position, then it must be challenged through proper channels.

Seen from this perspective, this unprecedented and very curious action of the Election Commission regrettably raises questions as to its motives. It must be taken to appreciate the precarious position it has left Perak in, one which looked upon objectively appears to have been made more accommodating to the machinations of the Barisan Nasional. I note that by-elections would be inconvenient for Umno which is scheduled to have its assembly in March. It is as such open to question as to whether the Election Commission has conducted itself in the independent manner the Federal Constitution requires of it.

Where this leaves the Perak government is an open question. It could seek a ruling of the court as to the correctness of the decision made by the Election Commission and an order to compel the latter to conduct the by-election. This would be a time-consuming affair and occasion a delay that can only work against the interests of the state. The razor-thin margin is undermining stability and it is more probable than not the attention of those who make up the state government would be focused more on preserving their government than the affairs of the state.

The Election Commission’s stance and the underlying events would afford sufficient cause for the menteri besar to request that the Sultan dissolve the assembly and call for fresh elections. All things considered, this may be the best way to protect the interests of Perak. In these difficult times, governments should be focused on what needs to be done rather than politics.

Malik Imtiaz Sarwar is the current president of the National Human Rights Society (HAKAM) and a lawyer.

(TheMalaysianInsider)

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Malaysian govt faces losing power over graft: Mahathir

Malaysia's coalition government which has ruled for half a century will be dumped at the next elections if it continues to embrace corrupt leaders, former premier Mahathir Mohamad said Sunday.

Mahathir said the Barisan Nasional's crushing defeat in a weekend by-election, which has given the opposition a major boost, was a vote of no confidence in the leadership of outgoing premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

He warned that deputy premier Najib Razak, who is due to take the top job in March, must not repeat the mistakes of Abdullah, who voters punished in last year's general elections for failing to introduce promised anti-graft reforms.

"I think Najib is not to be blamed for (the by-election loss) but if he continues to elect or support corrupt leaders then I think he will lose the next general election," Mahathir said.

"Leaders who are discredited, who are involved with corruption, are still being chosen as candidates," he said, without naming names.

"If they want to win, get rid of these people."

Mahathir handed over power to Abdullah in 2003, ending more than two decades as premier, but the two quickly fell out and the veteran leader campaigned relentlessly to undermine his successor.

After the March 2008 general elections that produced the Barisan Nasional's worst ever results, with the loss of one third of parliamentary seats and five states to the opposition, Abdullah was forced to agree to stand down.

The opposition's success in snatching a parliamentary seat from the government in the northeastern city of Kuala Terengganu is seen as an indication the coalition has failed to claw back support.

General elections are due to be held by 2013, but the opposition has said the government could call a snap poll this year because it fears its popularity will have fallen even further in several years' time. (MSNNews)

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Anwar - UMNO act like Israel - Malaysiakini

KUALA TERENGGANU - Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim drew parallels tonight between the conflict in Gaza and what he called the sufferings of Malaysians as he hit the campaign trail at a mammoth rally attended by thousands here.

Attempting to touch a sensitive chord among the mainly Muslim constituency here, he accused Umno, the main party in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, of acting like Israel.

"The leadership is busy collecting wealth. While Israel is punishing the Palestinian people for choosing Hamas, it is no different from Umno punishing Malaysians for choosing the Pakatan Rakyat," he told a ceramah here on the first day of campaigning for the Kuala Terengganu by-election.

Datuk Nik Aziz speaking at the ceramah.

Thousands of local residents had gathered to listen to a star-studded Pakatan Rakyat (PR) rally here where besides Anwar, the DAP's Lim Kit Siang and Pas president Hadi Awang were also among the top draws.

The flag-waving crowd cheered loudly during Anwar's speech, punctuated with shouts of "Allahu Akbar", which translates as "God is Great," the standard clarion cry of the Pas faithful.

With a majority of Malaysia's Muslims backing the Palestinian cause, Israel's ongoing invasion of Gaza is having a major impact on domestic politics.

Political leaders from either side of the divide have been busy burnishing their Islamic credentials, and Anwar's attack against Umno tonight will likely put BN on the defensive in the days to come.

People listening to the speakers at the Pas ceramah at Pantai Tanjung.

The Kuala Terengganu by-election sees a three-way fight between BN's Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Salleh, Abdul Wahid Endut of Pas and independent Azharuddin Mamat.

Setting the tone for the campaign, Anwar told the huge flag waving crowd gathered at a beach behind the Astaka shopping centre here that the problem with Umno was that it was corrupt and ignored the suffering of ordinary Malaysians.

Sticking to his Gaza theme, he said: "Umno, like Israel, does not recognise the chosen Hamas leadership."

The Opposition Leader also spoke on the Hudud issue, and blamed "Umno and its controlled media" for fanning religious and racial hatred.

This listener finds something hilarious at the ceramah.

(TheMalaysianinsider)

Pas vice-president Husam Musa's recent remarks that his party would want to introduce Hudud, the strict Islamic code which prescribes amputation, stonning and whipping as punishment for criminal offences, had touched off criticisms from non-Muslim groups, including PR partners DAP.

While the Hudud issue has caused uneasiness in other parts of the country, it has little traction in the east coast states, where a huge majority of the population, are conservative Muslims.

Still, with a tight race anticipated, both the BN and PR campaigns are mindful of the need to secure the Chinese vote, which represents around 11 per cent of voters here.

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BN starts its 'capital' investment carnival in KT by election

KUALA TERENGGANU,– The roads leading into town are jammed as police mount roadblocks even before dawn as far away as Cendering.
What looks like thousands of BN supporters have been gathering from before 7am in Seri Iman, the huge official home of the Terengganu MB, for the march to the indoor stadium where the nomination will be held.

A breakfast buffet of the state’s specialties – nasi dagang and a variety of rich kueh – were served to the crowds.

A brief kerfuffle broke out between the sexes over what to carry – umbrellas, or BN and Umno flags – during the march, which is expected to start at 9am.

Several rounds of the BN anthem are played to further raise the spirits of the crowd ... which is already impossibly high.

It is noisy and packed and more festive than most New Year’s Eve celebrations ... if not for the pervasive presence of police personnel all over the streets.

The road directly in front of the indoor stadium, which incidentally resembles a mall front, has been sectioned off. It looks like a DMZ.

The road after that, which is in front of the district clinic, is like a market.

Vendors there are selling T-shirts featuring Pas president Hadi and various merchandise. Sadly, there are no buyers.

Unlike the BN side of the divide, the air here is heavy with the sound of silence. Tension is high.

Then all of a sudden, the tension breaks. Shouts of "Allahu Akbar!" fill the air as a small band makes its way up the street.

A pair of weighing scales against dark blue is spotted on the shirt of the leading man. On the sidewalk a group of white capped men shout in Malay: "Just wait here!"

In the Sultan Muhamud Mosque, named after the King's late father, locally known as the Ladang Mosque, vendors selling fried snacks and balloons wait for customers who don't come.

Just after 9am, the Pas parade is on the move with more cries of “Allahu Akbar!” and “Lawan Tetap Lawan!”. (TheMalaysianinsider)


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BN can't afford to lose in T'ganu - Najib

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Barisan Nasional cannot afford to lose the Kuala Terengganu by-election, deputy Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday. "From my observation of the leaders involved in this by-election, I am confident that the BN is ready to succeed.
"A win will be a clear signal that Umno and the BN are still relevant to the rakyat," he said when launching the BN's Kuala Terengganu by-election machinery at the Islamic Civilisation Park here.

Also present were Umno vice-presidents Tan Sri Muh-yiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Puteri vice-chief Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin, Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said, Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek and Kuala Terengganu Umno division chief Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh.

The by-election for the parliamentary seat on Jan 17 was called after the death of its member of parliament Datuk Razali Ismail, last month.
Najib said to win the by-election, party members had to be earnest and sincere.

"There are two-faced Umno members. There are those who walk around in Umno vests, shirts, caps and badges, but vote for another party.

"These people should get an Oscar.

"When Pas took over the state government in 1999, it wasn't because they were a better party, but because of such Umno members."

He said the candidate for the seat has to be humble as the electorate would judge him on his conduct rather than his academic qualifications.

Najib said the candidate also had to appeal to the non-Malay community, who could determine the outcome of the by-election.

"It all boils down to how we carry ourselves.

"If we salam (shake hands) and smile, they will support us. We have to go to the ground and mix with the rakyat.

"And this not only applies to the candidate but Umno leaders as well."

Najib also asked members here to accept the party's choice of candidate for the by-election.

"I know that the choice of candidate can cause infighting among ordinary members as well as at the divisional level.

"But if there is unity at the top, then there would not be a problem among members."

Najib is expected to announce the BN candidate next week.(NST)


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Zaid Ibrahim parted with UMNO

It may sound like a cliché but Umno's decision to expel Datuk Zaid Ibrahim from the party is a win-win solution. For the ruling party, it ends a painful charade which started in March 2008 when the lawyer cum politician was made a senator and appointed to the Cabinet as the de facto Law Minister.

From the word go, it was obvious that he and other Umno politicians did not have much in common.

He spoke the language of a reformer, behaved at times like a social activist and often found himself in the same pack as Pakatan Rakyat politicians and the Bar Council.

In truth, he was tolerated in the early days because the party reeling from the shock results of Election 2008 had more pressing issues at hand.

It was still coming to grips with a stronger Opposition and the vexing question of whether Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should remain as party president and Prime Minister.

The clarion call at that point was party unity. So everybody put up a facade of getting along with each other.

But privately, the whispering campaign against Zaid among senior Umno officials, including ministers, started in May.

They were uneasy with his battering ram approach in reforming the judiciary and dismantling the Internal Security Act.

Several Umno ministers blamed him for the ex-gratia payment which the government made to the judges who were either sacked or suspended during the judicial crisis in 1988 and the decision to make public the Royal Commission's report on the V K Lingam video clip.

The report implicated a host of prominent individuals including Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Mansor and former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

By July, Zaid cut a lonely figure in the Cabinet. He was being attacked in Parliament by Umno MPs, behind closed doors by Umno ministers and publicly by Dr Mahathir. The only protector he had was Abdullah.

But as Abdullah's hold on Umno got weaker and weaker especially after Anwar Ibrahim's win in the Permatang Pauh by-election, so did his ability and willingness to defend Zaid.

Umno politicians began questioning Zaid's ability to be a team player and arguing that he did not carry or represent the aspirations of the Malays.

They rejected the first draft of the Judicial Appointments Commission and Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar ticked him off for suggesting in Parliament that the government was reviewing the Internal Security Act.

When the government reached for the ISA against a journalist and DAP MP Teresa Kok in September, Zaid handed in his resignation as a minister. His friends say that instead of being depressed, resigning from the Cabinet was a liberating experience.

After the euphoria of being appointed a minister had died down, it had been a torture for him to be in the government.

He could not stomach the chauvinism and narrow-mindedness of ruling party politicians and realized that he was an outsider.

On at least a couple of occasions, he went to see Abdullah to offer his resignation, saying that he did not fit into this landscape. On both occasions, Zaid was persuaded to be patient and assured that the Administration would back the initiatives to reform the judiciary.

He agreed but it had become a chore for him to wake up daily and go to Putrajaya..

His presence at Cabinet meetings grew more infrequent in August/September and he knew that there was only going to be one conclusion for this political experiment which began when he received a late night telephone call from Abdullah several days after March 8.

His friends said that his few months in Cabinet made him realize that he had a value system that was completely different from Umno's.

He does not believe in the concept of Ketuanan Melayu or in the use of the ISA.

Days after he resigned from government, Anwar reached out to him. He appeared seduced by the idea of joining the Opposition, especially at the time when all the talk in town was about the September 16 crossovers.

But he decided against it and told family and friends that he would like to set up a foundation to foster better race relations among Malaysia's young. The Opposition has not stopped wooing him. He may be tempted to join either the PKR or DAP.

Why?

Unlike Umno, they want him. Also, his ideals are closer to those espoused by Anwar and Lim Kit Siang. He wants the ISA to be abolished, for the separation of powers to be respected, for the country's institutions to be restored to their full glory.

His sacking from Umno will allow him to follow his dreams. His sacking will allow Umno to finally get rid of a politician who was never one of them. (MalaysianInsider)

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Don't run UMNO top posts without money - Mustapha

• 

PUTRAJAYA: Senior UMNO minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed will only run for the supreme council post in the coming party elections, citing "not enough money to run for top posts."

Although he did not elaborate on "not enough money," to some extent what he said has reflected on the phenomenon of money politics within UMNO.

"Don't run for top posts without money."

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  During the last party election, Mustapa lost in his contest for the party vice presidency.
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• Mustapa, who is also the agriculture and agro-based industry minister, said during an exclusive interview with Sin Chew Daily as he led a delegation to the ASEAN+3 Agriculture and Forestry Ministers Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam recently, that because of his political style which saw him distance himself from political tussles, he often gave the public an impression of a "technocratic ministerial political leader."

He felt that UMNO had come to a stage for an overhaul of its leadership, adding that the party needed to bring in more new blood and lure new generation professionals to its rank for the party's future developments.He took himself as an example. Former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin offered him a chance to become his political secretary so that he could have the opportunity to learn, and with the support of other leaders, he had got promoted in the government.He also cited MCA as another example, saying that both Ong Ka Ting and Ong Tee Keat had all been political secretaries before they could scale the pinnacle of their political careers.As such, he said party leaders must try to groom new blood, but more importantly, offer the opportunites for them to perfect themselves in politics. (Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)

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Lombok issue - Noor Fadilah finally united with her family

NUSA TENGGARA BARAT (Mataram), Oct 29 (Bernama) -- After 54 days of separation, Noor Fadilah Ahmad finally was united with her parents in an emotional meeting here Tuesday.

She met her father, Ahmad Abdul Hamid, 46, and mother, Masitah Abdullah, 42, at the Mataram district immigration office after they were brought there by Umno Youth's caring society secretariat.

In the 1.45pm reunion, Noor Fadilah hugged her father and tried to dissuade him from looking for Nasrudin Dahrom, the Lombok Timur youth who brought her here.

The tense situation became very emotional when Masitah alighted from the car and hugged her eldest child and cried watched by more than 50 people including secretariat chairman, Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim.

"Don't you love me," Masitah asked her child who sobbed loudly even as she asked for forgiveness.

The emotional meeting took 10 minutes before they entered the immigration office to settle Noor Fadilah's travel documents as she had entered Lombok illegally on Sept 6.

Noor Fadilah from Bagan Serai, Perak, followed Nasrudin to Lombok leaving Malaysia on Sept 3 without her parents' blessings as they did not approve of her love affair.

The couple is said to have married in Batu Belik, Aimal, Lombok Timur, on Oct 11 against the wishes of her father.

"We are matched and this is our destiny. I ask for forgiveness from her father. If necessary I will kiss his feet," said Nasrudin to reporters outside the immigration compound.

On Sept 4, Ahmad had made a police report asked for help to bring back Noor Fadilah and the Umno Youth secretariat had responded.

According to Indonesian law, anyone entering the country illegally can be jailed for six years or fined 30 million rupiahs.

However, as a result of negotiations between the secretariat represented by Abdul Azeez and the head of the Mataram district immigration's head of surveillance and action, M.Adnan, Noor Fadilah was allowed to go free.

"What is important is that all parties learn from this and that it does not happen again. This is a small effort of the secretariat to help people," said Abdul Azeez.

Earlier, Abdul Azeez who was mobbed by a crowd, including Nasrudin's family members, advised him to resolve the matter using Malay law and tradition.

"Do not separate them," said Nasrudin's mother, Rumini, 55, who wanted the matter to be resolved amicably after Noor Fadilah was detained by immigration since Oct 16.

Nasrudin who was allowed to meet Noor Fadilah's mother at the Silaparang airport at Mataram repeatedly asked forgiveness from Masitah for the couple's actions.

The secretariat team is expected to return to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 11.30pm.

-- BERNAMA

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