Nizar gets ‘royal nod’ for by-elections, no need to dissolve assembly
(Bernama) – The most talked about meeting in Malaysia today took all of 10 minutes.
Pas officials told The Malaysian Insider that Nizar left the meeting with the impression that based on the resignation letters calling by-elections would be the most palatable outcome to this political stalemate.
They added that there was no discussion between the MB and the Sultan about dissolving the state assembly.
“It was a very short meeting and the MB only wanted the Sultan to have sight of the two letters especially since there is so much disinformation now and seek his counsel,” a Pas official told The Malaysian Insider.
Sultan Azlan Shah was the country’s top judge and one of the region’s most respected legal voices.
Meanwhile, the Umno leadership is confident that Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman will cross the political divide at the right time, despite public statements by the duo today that they intended to remain in PKR.
But the duo’s first move will be to challenge in court the validity of the undated letters of resignation. They will argue that they signed the letters under duress and their lawyers will also rely on legal precedents to push the point that undated letters were against the principle of freedom of association guaranteed under the Federal Constitution.
The Supreme Court in 1992 decided that this freedom includes the right to dissociate.
Therefore lawyers for the two PKR men will argue that the use of undated resignation letters should not be entertained as it disallows a person to associate or disassociate with an organisation.
