Unprofessional police conduct forces Nizar to pray by roadside
By Wong Choon Mei, Suara Keadilan
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 party, 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!
Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had already warned 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.
“The (High Court) decision proves that the Constitution is the highest law in our country. It is therefore crucial for all government institutions to respect the spirit that is enshrined in the Constitution and the laws it contains,” Anwar said.
Nevertheless, as 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 return – he and team held prayers by the roadside.
He left the complex after about 15 minutes at 7.45 am and is headed for Kuala Kangsar, where he is still awaiting an audience with Raja Nazrin. Although, the Pakatan has requested to meet the Regent, Raja Nazrin has not confirmed that he will see Nizar.
May 7 sitting and gross unprofessional conduct
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.
Nizar has already announced that he will not automatically rescind all decisions entered into by the Zambry team since Feb 6, although these would have to be reviewed. The exception will be the controversial May 7 sitting, during Ganesan was illegally voted in as the Umno-BN 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?” Nizar told 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 have also been 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 in the three-month long crisis triggered after Najib launched a coup d’etat against the Pakatan, with the support of the Sultan, in early February.
