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Constitutional law expert professor Abdul Aziz Bari has urged the palace to explain the previous practice of appointing a menteri besar.
He said the palace should explain the practice since 1959 when the country had a constitutional monarchy.
The palace should also make clear its views on requirements for majority and submission of names.
“Is it similar to what we understand, (which is) what has been practised throughout the commonwealth, or something different?” he asked.
He also asked for the palace’s views on the Selangor constitution’s requirement that the menteri besar must be a Malay and a Muslim, since it had become an issue during the 1969 general election.
“It has to be pointed out that a practice - past and present - may not be right and in conformity with (the) constitution, which embody the practice of Westminster democracy convention in this respect.
“Let us take the opportunity to put the law and practice straight and clear, so that in future there will be no more delay like what happened in Selangor,” he said yesterday.
Yesterday, the Sultan of Selangor’s private secretary Mohamad Munir Bani ) denied Anwar’s claims that it is the convention since independence to nominate only one person for the post of menteri besar.
In response, Anwar said
“I merely wanted to state what had happened within my knowledge, especially while I was in the Umno-BN government from 1982 to 1998.If I had erred, I wish to apologise to his highness the sultan of Selangor.”
In addition, Aziz Bari suggested that the CONFERENCE OF RULERS and the NATIONAL PALACE should also EXPLAIN how the appointments of prime ministers are carried out.
He said this as the legal provisions for the appointment for menteri besar and those for the appointment of prime ministers are “ESSENTIALLY THE SAME".
“The National Palace should tell us how PRIME MINISTERS HAVE BEEN APPOINTED and how changes during the term or after general election (are) normally being handled,” he said.
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