Perak Sultan Should DISSOLVE the State Assembly if Perak Pakatan Rakyat Govt Falls

From Malaysiakini: Read here for more
Update: 2nd February 2009

"...Perak state assembly speaker V Sivakumar said that he had received letters of resignation from both Behrang assemblyperson Jamaluddin Mat Radzi and Changkat Jering assemblyperson Osman Jailu.He said that he received their letters at about 5.45pm at his house.

"They have stepped down as state assemblypersons with immediate effect," he said in a statement today.With that, Sivakumar declared both the Behrang and Chankat Jering state seats vacant, necessitating two by-elections soon.He added that he will be informing the Election Commission tomorrow about the vacancy. The by-elections for the two state seats will have to be held within 60 days. Read here for more

--- END OF UPDATE ---

We Say ,

Malaysian politics is getting to be sickening by the day with politicians, if not threatening to quit for one reason or the other, would jump from one party to another like drunken frogs so as to destabilise the government.

We therefore support the call for His Highness the Sultan Perak to dissolve the Perak State Assembly immediately if situation dictates that the Pakatan Rakyat State Government falls due to irresponsible Pakatan Rakyat State Assemblymen crossing over to Barisan Nasional for self-interest or to escape prosecution for corruption as in the case of the two PKR Behrang assemblyman Jamaluddin Radzi and his Changkat Jering colleague Osman Jailu.

Malaysians need a stable government without worrying whether those they have elected would be switching allegiance to cause the downfall of governments.

A fresh election will enable the Pakatan Rakyat parties to carefully choose and scrutinise worthy candidates, to avoid having in their midst politicians with a propensity to bribe or the susceptibility to be corrupted.

The voters in Perak deserves better whichever party they will choose next to run the state government, should it arise.
-Malaysian Unplug

The faces of the missing two PKR State Assemblymen charged for bribery.

Jamaluddin Mat Radzi (PKR, Behrang) and Osman Jailu (PKR, Changkat Jering)

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Two PKR Perak State Assemblymen Missing

Mohammad Nizar confirmed that the two state excos have been incommunicado for the past five days and have been out of contact with family members and state officials.

The MB also said that neither state official nor family members were able to contact the two men. They have not been seen in public since last Sunday, the day when Nasaruddin defected to PKR.

Mohamad Nizar also urged the two state excos to come out and state publicly if they were going to join the BN.

However he added the state government would not be jeopardised even if there was a crossover involving the two.

Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin today said that his government would be lodging a 'missing person' police report after consulting with the families of the two PKR state representatives.

Mohammad Nizar also urged the duo - Behrang assemblyperson Jamaluddin Mat Radzi and Changkat Jering state representative Osman Jailu - to come forward even if they have decided to join the Barisan Nasional.

Jamaluddin, 52, is the Perak entrepreneur development and cooperatives committee chairperson while Osman, 57, heads the state tourism and NGO committee.

They were charged in a Sessions Court on Aug 25 last year with allegedly receiving bribes over the application for a RM180 million housing project in Sri Iskandar in Perak Tengah. Their case comes up for hearing on Feb 10.

It is also learnt that the state Pakatan Rakyat government would consider releasing undated letters of resignations signed by the two.

These letters were signed by all Pakatan state representatives just after the March 8, 2008 general election and are being kept by the menteri besar.

The release of such letters - expected to be done in the coming days - could mean that the planned defection of the duo, if it happens, would not add the number of seats for BN in the state assembly.

And if the letters are released, it is expected that by-elections for both the state seats could be held. Election laws also prohibit resigned elected representatives from contesting for the seats.

There have been swirling rumours that Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman, who were charged in a Sessions Court on Aug 25 last year may have decided to defect to Umno in the hopes of getting off the charge.

At the same time, another news that's spreading like a wildfire in Perak today is the sudden ‘disappearance' of the state assembly deputy speaker Hee Yit Fong and her imminent crossover over to the MCA.

Hee, 46, is the DAP's state representative for Jelapang.

It is learnt that she has missed a state and party function last night. She was also absent from the meeting chaired by Mohamad Nizar this morning.

Attempts to contact her for comments via her mobile telephone have been unsuccessful. Sources are saying that she would be attending a MCA function later today in Ipoh.

Talks of Hee defecting from DAP is not new. Such talks first emerged in May last year but Hee continued to remain in DAP and Pakatan.

In Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stopped short of confirming that the duo are on their way to the BN.

Speaking to reporters this morning, the BN chairperson however said that several Pakatan elected representatives in Perak would be jumping ship to join BN soon.

RELATED ARTICLE

Let’s fight it out

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by

Liew Chin Tong
(Member of Parliament for Bukit Bendera, Penang and member of DAP Central Executive Committee)

Perhaps it is time for the Perak Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin to seek the Sultan’s consent to dissolve the Perak State Assembly.

If granted, I am confident that Pakatan Rakyat will win. A Pakatan victory will spell the end of Umno/Barisan Nasional.

By all accounts it looks like the two Parti KeADILan Rakyat Behrang assemblyman Jamaluddin Radzi and his Changkat Jering colleague Osman Jailu, who have been reported “missing”, are confirmed crossing over to Barisan Nasional.

They are “missing” ala P.I. Bala-style for a reason. They won’t surface until BN gathers enough numbers to topple the PR government at once.

According to the grapevine, at least one state assemblyperson from DAP is scheduled to meet MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat tonight to seal a deal that will bring down the nascent PAS, DAP and PKR joint state government.

There is no time to lose.

And, there is nothing to lose for Pakatan to return to the people for a fresh mandate.

Unlike Umno, PR parties have not been tied down by vested interests. Apart from State Executive Councilors losing the right to use their official cars, almost no one loses anything if PR fails to wrest back the state in an election.

But if PR wins the election, Umno/Barisan Nasional will collapse soon after. Just imagine the impact of hundreds of Pematang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu combined.

I am confident that with a better slate of candidates and a well planned campaign, Pakatan Rakyat will win comfortably. Non-Malay support for PR in general has increased after March 8th while Kuala Terengganu shows that it is possible for Pakatan to win Malay support.

To hold election now is good for PR as Umno is fractious and more interested in its own party election than anything else.

There is a caveat here. The Sultan may reject the request for dissolution. But being the reputably most enlightened House in country, His Royal Highness would have to take into consideration his own place in history when he decides. Either way, it will have far reaching consequences for his state, and the nation.

With a request to dissolve the State Assembly, the buck stops at the Sultan’s court, not Pakatan’s. That’s sufficed in a crisis situation as we have already done our part to attempt to return to the people.

Jika benar begitu... Umno memang tidak sedar diri

From Malaysian Insider, article by Zulkifli Sulong .

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Excerpts

"Usaha menghubungi mereka sehingga pagi ini gagal dan kita mengecam segala usaha menganggu gugat Exco dan pentadbiran Kerajaan Negeri," kata Menteri Besar Perak Datuk Seri Mohd Nizar Jamaludin kepada sidang media pagi Ahad 1 Februari.

Kenyataan ini mengesahkan kehilangan dua Exco kerajaan Perak, Jamaluddin Mat Radzi dan Osman Jailu, masuk hari kelima. Selain tidak dapat dihubungi hatta oleh keluarga mereka sendiri, mereka berdua juga telah tidak menyertai mesyuarat Exco kerajaan negeri yang terakhir minggu lalu.

Bagi MB Perak itu, pihaknya bersedia dengan apa sahaja kemungkinan ekoran kehilangan ini hatta mereka sudah menyertai BN, beliau tidak kesah nampaknya. Asalkan kedua-dua tampil ke depan dan menjelaskan kedudukan sebenarnya.

"Kami percaya kehilangan mereka ada hubungan rapat dengan pertuduhan kes rasuah yang sedang mereka hadapi dan perbicaraan kes tersebut akan bermula pada 10 Februari," kata pengerusi perhubungannya Osman Abdul Rahman dalam satu kenyataan lewat petang 31 Januari.

"Kami percaya ada usaha-usaha oleh BN untuk memujuk kedua-dua Exco ini bagi menyertai BN dan sebagai imbuhan terdesak Najib, termasuk menggugurkan kes rasuah mereka," kata beliau.

Persoalannya kini adalah, jika benar BN mahu menarik kedua-duanya menyertai mereka, apakah tujuannya. Mahu menjatuhkan kerajaan negeri Perak? Ia tidak akan berlaku kalau setakat mereka berdua sahaja. BN memerlukan sekurang-kurangnya tiga Adun Pakatan Rakyat untuk menyertainya barulah kerajaan negeri yang ada boleh bertukar tangan.

Dengan mood yang ada pada rakyat sekarang, agak pelik jika benar tindakan Umno mahu membeli kedua-dua Exco itu.

Ini kerana, walaupun kedua-duanya boleh dipujuk dan dibeli dengan isu dakwaan rasuah yang mereka hadapi tetapi langkah itu tidak akan menjatuhkan kerajaan negeri Pakatan kerana Umno memerlukan sekurang-kurangnya tiga Adun untuk menjadikannya majoriti dalam Dun Perak.

Sementara itu, ramai tidak yakin Umno akan berusaha mendapatkan kedua-dua Exco itu menyertainya kerana jika Umno berbuat demikian terlalu jelas caranya iaitu memberikan janji untuk tidak mendakwanya di mahkamah ekoran dakwaan rasuah ke atas mereka berdua. "Umno sudah buruk dengan isu korupsi. Jika dia cuba dapatkan kedua-dua Exco itu melalui cara itu, semakin jelaslah kepada rakyat Umno memang korup dan peranan SPRM akan dipertikaikan," kata seorang penganalisa politik.

Undi di Permatang Pauh dan Kuala Terengganu jelas memberikan amaran kepada BN agar bangun dan sedar segera dari tidurnya. Najib sendiri juga mengaku perkara ini.

Jika benar Najib dan pemimpin BN berusaha ke arah itu, beliau juga tidak boleh lupa bahawa kerajaan negeri Perak juga nampaknya bersedia menghadapinya.

Nizar dalam sidang akhbarnya pagi ini berkata, pihaknya membuat persiapan ke arah itu namun tidak mahu mendedahkan persediaan yang dibuat apabila terdapat pengesahan dua Exconya telah melompat. Namun jelasnya semua adalah mengikut kuasa undang-undang yang ada.