Khir Toyo suspended for one year for contempt

By Neville Spykerman, The Malaysian insider

Selangor Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo has been suspended for one year by the state assembly’s rights and privileges committee

He has been suspended for his absence from the Selangor Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) inquiry into the alleged misconduct and inappropriate dealings of state charity Balkis.

Also suspended are four Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen — Marsum Paing (Dengkil), Mohamad Idris Abu Bakar (Hulu Bernam), Warno Dogol (Sabak), and Isa Abdul Kasim (Batang Kali).

The four have been suspended for six months each.

Announcing the suspensions today, Speaker Teng Chang Kim said the former mentri besar was found guilty of contempt of the assembly.

The decision to suspend the five BN men will however only take effect once it is tabled at the next assembly sitting in July.

Dr Mohd Khir indicated he would challenge the decision in court.

He told The Malaysian Insider that he would wait for a formal letter informing him of his suspension before letting his lawyers study the matter.

By suspending Dr Mohd Khir, Teng and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) could open themselves to accusations of vindictiveness on their part.

Dr Mohd Khir’s administration had been frequently criticised previously for abuse of power in suspending Teng, who was then the Selangor opposition leader.

The former BN MB has also been hurling accusations of corruption against Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, while the Selcat inquiry appeared targeted at Dr Mohd Khir.

If the suspensions are challenged in court, it could result in upheaval in the state.

While the doctrine of separation of powers and constitutional provisions do not usually allow decisions of the state assembly to be subject to judicial review, recent court cases involving the BN-PR power tussle in Perak suggest judges are willing to rule over such matters.