UPDATES ON PERAK's MESSY POLITICAL CRISIS

1830 hrs (6.30 pm Malaysian time)

It appears the Sultan of Perak DID NOT give his consent to MB Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin's request to dissolve the State Assembly to have fresh polls and to head off BN's attempt to seize power in Perak. Read here for more

1800 hrs (6 pm Malaysian time)

1. PERAK GOVERNMENT FALLS.
   
   Perak's "Gang of Four" in Putrajaya
   with DPM Najib
   
   Note: PERAK'S Gang of Four:
   Two charged in court for bribery, one
   flip-flopping into UMNO-PKR-UMNO in 10 days and one
   who is an emotionally unstable and "heartbroken" prima donna
   who chose to be a political turn-coat for a simple reason
   she feels slighted by her party leaders.
   
2. Najib said at his press conference that the Barisan Nasional has the support of the FOUR former Pakatan Perak assemblypersons - three will be "BN-friendly" Independents, while Nasarudin will rejoin Umno. Najib will meet the Perak Sultan as soon as possible. Najib said they have also given BN the mandate to select a new menteri besar for Perak.
   
   He said it is up to the sultan to decide on Nizar's request for dissolution of the assembly. From Malaysiakini
   
   The four are: DAP Hee Yit Foong (Jelapang) , PKR's Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu (Changkat Jering) , PKR's Jamaludin Mat Radzi (Behrang) and UMNO's-then-PKR's Nasharuddin Hashim (Bota) . They were with DPM Najib in his office in Putrajaya during the press conference.
   
   
3. Perak MB Asks Sultan for Dissolution of State Assembly
   
   Perak MB Mohd Nizar left the palace after meeting the sultan. He briefly told reporters that he had informed the sultan of his request for dissolution. "It is now up to Tuanku (his highness)," he said with a smile. The meeting last almost two hours. From Malaysiakini

COMMENTARY

From Straight Talk Blog

Fickle Minded or Opportunist?

Read here for more

Bota representative Nasarudin Hashim has to be the most fickle minded politician of the year.

He left UMNO days ago claiming he is able to serve the interest of his constituency better under the Pakatan Rakyat government and went back again to UMNO.

The truth is Nasarudin is not serving the interest of his constituency but his alone. I had asked Nasarudin to resign and seek a fresh by-election to prove that his voters are supportive of his earlier decision. He even hosted a ceramah to explain to the voters his decision.

What about now?

This is an expensive lesson for PR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim. He should leave UMNO political tactics behind when he left the party. PKR cannot claim to be the new face of Malaysian politics which is clean and responsible if its paramount leader has been talking about defections since the March 8, 2008 general election. I have been waiting for him to talk about governance and new ideas for the country.

Assemblymen Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, Osman Jailu and Hee Yit Foong should be ashamed of themselves.

They were lying through their teeth and giving all sorts of reasons to justify their disappearance. Perakians who wanted a better Malaysia should ensure they end the political career of the 3 politicians.

Next time, vote for the quality of a candidate. There are good people in PR and there are a few good men in BN too. Malaysians should make their elected representatives work for them and not the other way round.

A number of us, independent observers, had warned the PR state governments to pull up their socks. What did I get from a few constructive articles I wrote about PR state governments e.g. Penang? I was maliciously accused by a DAP MP Jeff Ooi in Penang for blackmailing the state government for fund as a reason of my criticism. This self-proclaimed blogger activist did not even bother to apologize when he was not able to come out with any concrete evidence after the 72 hours deadline given to him.

Sometimes criticism is meant to be constructive and helpful. We criticize because we care and want the two-party system to work. The end results is always for a better Malaysia.

PR needs to handle their own "little Napoleons".

For the sake of the nation, I hope the Perak Sultan will allow for a snap election to be called. It is not for the politicians to decide who should rule. In a real democracy, it is all about the people's choice. By allowing BN to take power via the backdoor, the monarch may actually help to perpetuate corruption and unscrupulous practices in politics.
-Khoo Kay Peng