Pakatan reps hold ‘sitting’ in a hotel

(The Star) IPOH: Perak Pakatan Rakyat state assemblymen held their “sitting” at a hotel here after failing to force their way into the State Secretariat building.

Held at the ballroom of Heritage Hotel at Jalan Raja Di-Hilir here, the “sitting” started about 11.45am, complete with tables and chairs properly arranged and a make-shift Speaker table and chair. It ended about two hours later.

Earlier, the group, led by former mentri besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin and Sitiawan assemblyman and Perak DAP chief Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, had tried to get into the State Secretariat building despite a court order prohibiting any gathering within a 30m radius of the building.

The police had obtained the court order on Tuesday. Despite warnings by the police, the group marched towards the building at 9.45am before being intercepted by Ipoh CID chief Deputy Supt S. Glenn Anthony who asked them to leave or face arrest.

A shouting match ensued between DSP Glenn and them. Ngeh argued that the court order had to be gazzetted before it could come into effect as Nizar began to yell at DSP Glenn: “Where is the gazette? Where is the gazette? Show me the gazette.”

The group then tried to push their way into the building, resulting in clashes with the police.

Seven people, including Ngeh, the state assemblymen for Simpang Pulai and Malim Nawar, Chan Ming Kai and K Keshvinder Singh, and a Nanyang Siang Pau photographer Stanley Tan were arrested by the police.

Keshvinder had a minor injury.

All of them have since been released on police bail until Oct 1. Except for Tan, the rest were arrested for taking part in an illegal assembly. The photographer was detained for using criminal force against a civil servant.

At 10.13am, Nizar ordered the Pakatan representatives to disperse and the group adjourned to the DAP office for a press conference. There, Sivakumar announced that the “sitting” would be adjourned to the hotel.As the fracas went on outside the State Secretariate building, it was business as usual for Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir who chaired the weekly state exco meeting inside.

“They create their own laws, their own system, their own ways and then they are syiok sendiri,” Dr Zambry told reporters after the meeting. “They do not have respect for the law,” he added. He said it had become fun for the Pakatan to create drama for the international media.

“They create issues because they have run out of issues and people cannot remember their plot anymore.”