Perak Assembly: Sivakumar adjourns Pakatan “assembly”

(The Star) – 11.45am: Sivakumar adjourns Pakatan “assembly”. Pakatan reps begin walking out of sitting.

11.30am: Former mentri besar and Pengkalan Hulu assemblyman Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali seconds state Budget presented by Dr Zambry. Pakatan reps interrupt their Barisan counterparts when they speak. Slim assemblyman Datuk Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib says Ganesan should take action against Pakatan assemblymen for turning assembly into “circus”. Ganesan announces for Budget to be read a second time.

11.20am: Assembly reconvenes. Pakatan reps are calling for Ganesan to vacate the Speaker’s seat.

10.55am: Pakatan reps ‘take over’ sitting. Sivakumar, Nizar and Ngeh speak. While they were doing so, Barisan reps stood up and walked around.

Outside the SUK building, FRU orders people to stay inside the five-foot walkway of the shops below the DAP headquarters, which is opposite the SUK building.

10.40am: Buntong rep A. Subramaniam stands up and asks Ganesan to vacate his seat. Subramaniam says Bar Council registry shows Ganesan was still a practising lawyer three months after his appointment on May 7.

10.20am: Speaker Ganesan adjourns sitting to 11.20am.

10.15am: Dr Zambry gives his Budget speech but Pakatan reps are still not present at the sitting.

Sivakumar came out for less than a minute alleging that the police manhandled him and removed the speaker’s robes he was wearing. He went back in after claiming that several Pakatan assemblymen were also manhandled by police.

FRU instructs media and public to get behind police line 50m away. PAS members pray in front of mamak restaurant located opposite the SUK building.

10.07am: Pakatan assemblymen now re-enter the SUK building. Assembly observes minute of silence for the pupil who was killed in Kampar bridge tragedy.

10.05am: Pakatan representatives walk out of assembly after Sivakumar is asked to remove speaker’s robe. They are now speaking to reporters outside the SUK buidling

10.00am: Assembly starts but Pakatan assemblymen not present.

9.52am: Former speaker V. Sivakumar, former mentri besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, Ngeh and state rep Nga Ko Ming are part of the Pakatan assemblymen who enter the SUK building. Sivakumar is wearing his speaker’s robe.

9.50am: Pakatan crowd now directly facing SUK building. Police say only the state assemblymen can pass through last barricade to the building.

9.45am: Pakatan assemblymen and supporters begin march onto Jalan Istana towards the SUK building, shouting, “Hidup, hidup. Hidup Rakyat.” They also put on a show of solidarity in front of press photographers amid claps and cheers. Ngeh talks to police and FRU at one level of barricades on Lorong Istana before being allowed through.

9.27am: Estimated 150 curious onlookers, PAS and DAP supporters gather in front of entrance to DAP headquarters. Police in flourescent yellow vests line Jalan Istana, the road leading to the state secretariat building. Heaviest police presence in front of the gate.

9.05am: Police helicopter takes to the air, seen flying above state secretariat compound.

9.00am: Police stop impromptu press conference by DAP rep Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham. Perak CID chief seen talking to Ngeh and Thomas Su. Ngeh and Su claimed they were blocked from entering the state secretariat building.

8.55am: Police personnel putting up yellow police tape to demark 50m distance from state secretariat building.

8.50am: Pakatan assemblymen begin to arrive at state secretariat building.

8.30am: An estimated 400 police personnel have been stationed in the area. A total of about 20 police and FRU trucks also stationed.

8.00am: Heavy police presence around the area surrounding the Perak state secretariat building (SUK), where the State Assembly sitting is scheduled to begin later Wednesday morning. Police and Federal Reserve Unit trucks with security personnel have gathered at the area.

Barb wires have been placed on the sidewalk between the building and DAP headquarters. Roadblocks have been set up. Only authorised vehicles are being allowed on Jalan Istana which leads to the state secretariat building.

IPOH: A timetable to enter the assembly hall has been set by Speaker Datuk R. Ganesan for the respective assemblymen, government officers and media.

Barisan Nasional assemblyman are scheduled to enter before 9.55am followed by Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen.

Members of the media, government officers and dignitaries can start entering the hall from 9.30am.

High drama is expected at the sitting where Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir is scheduled to table the state budget.

Pakatan’s agenda since it was toppled earlier this year has been to keep up the political momentum for their cause by employing tactics such as challenging each and every sitting of the legislative assembly to show they do not recognise the Barisan government.

In the previous May 7 session, chaos had erupted including when the then-Speaker V. Sivakumar had been dragged out of the House.