Showdown in Perak: ‘Police can’t stop reps from attending sitting’
(NST) – IPOH: Do not stop the state assemblymen from attending the emergency sitting today, state Speaker V. Sivakumar warned the police.
In a hastily-called press conference here last night, Sivakumar warned state police chief Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah not to block the convening of the state assembly, which he said had been "validly called".
"I want him to ensure that the police will not stop or block state assemblymen from attending the state assembly sitting. No interference. No obstruction," he said at the office of his legal adviser Chan Kok Keong.
Zulkifli had issued a press statement yesterday drawing attention to a declaration by the secretary of the state assembly that the emergency sitting was illegal.
He said the State Secretariat management had informed the police that there would be no state assembly sitting as announced earlier by the speaker.
He warned the public not to gather at or around the state secretariat building, adding that only those authorised by the State Secretariat would be allowed to enter the premises.
Sivakumar said if the police or others did not allow the state assemblymen to exercise their rights, he would "invoke the powers of the House to commit those responsible" for contempt of the state assembly.
"I also wish to draw the CPO's attention to Section 124 of the Penal Code which provides a prison term of up to seven years for wrongfully restraining a member of the legislative assembly from exercising his or her duties."
He then announced that he was suspending state assembly Secretary Abdullah Antong Sabri with immediate effect for the latter's failure to act impartially as officer of the House.
On Sunday, Abdullah had issued a three-page statement saying the emergency state assembly sitting had contravened the Perak Constitution and the standing orders.
He claimed Sivakumar had failed to obtain the consent of Sultan Azlan Shah before calling for the assembly sitting.
Sivakumar said the suspension of Abdullah would be for this session only, adding that the position would be filled by Mohd Misbahul Munir Masduki, political secretary to former menteri besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.
