Perak PR Reps: Zambry's challenge is ridiculous

The Perak Barisan Nasional (BN) Menteri Besar Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir had on February 1, 2010 challenged 'ousted' Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin and his 27 other fellow assemblymen to vacate their seats and initiate for by-elections to be held at their seats. The challenge is to test the PR representatives' popularity amongst the people of Perak.

He said this in response to Mohammad Nizar's statement that he (Nizar) would seek the consent of the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, to dissolve the state legislative assembly if the Federal Court decides on February 9, 2010 that he (Nizar) is the legitimate Perak Menteri Besar.

Zambry however said that his BN government would not dissolve the state assembly to enable a state election to be held as demanded by his opposition. He said that it is not because he was afraid but that he did not want to follow PR's tune nor play their game.

Citizen Journalist, R. Vijay Kumar was at the Komplek Mahkamah Kuala Lumpur at Jalan Duta on February 2, 2010 and had the privilege of interviewing several of the Perak PR representatives there. They had unanimously stated that Zambry, as an elected State Assemblyman should know better than to throw them a ridiculous challenge.

The Article 48(6) of the Federal Constitution bans an elected representative from standing in elections for five (5) years upon his/her resignation from a state assembly or the Parliament. That means the PR reps, should they resign from their seats, will not be able to contest the by-election they have prompted nor a snap state election (should this be called) or even the next 13th General Election (which should be held latest by 2013).

The only way for BN or PR to gauge or garner the support of the people of Perak is to dissolve the state assembly and call for immediate snap elections.

The Federal Constitution was amended in 1990 to incorporate Article 48(6) as a result of Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad, the Johor Baru MP from UMNO, who had in 1988 resigned from his parliament seat and stood in the by-election as an independent, and won.

Video by R. Vijay Kumar, Citizen Journalist

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Perak State Assembly
• Perak Mentri Besar
• Zambry Abdul Kadir
• Pakatan Rakyat in Perak
• Pakatan Rakyat
• Lee Boon Chye
• Tai Sing Ng
• Yunus Jamhari
• Chan Ming Kai