After the chaotic state assembly sitting, what next in Perak?
To think that the political crisis in the state has ended with the removal of V. Sivakumar, from DAP, as State Assembly Speaker, and the appointment of Datuk R. Ganesan, from MIC, as the new Speaker, is a far cry.
Bernama
After today’s incident, which stained the sanctity of the august Perak State Legislative Assembly the people are asking, what’s going to happen next?
To think that the political crisis in the state has ended with the removal of V. Sivakumar, from DAP, as State Assembly Speaker, and the appointment of Datuk R. Ganesan, from MIC, as the new Speaker, is a far cry.
Obviously, the opposition will not accept Ganesan’s appointment nor other motions tabled and passed by the State Assembly today, which will leave the situation at status quo, unless one of the parties is willing to concede and give way.
The question is who or which side should be the one to give in – it is not likely to be the Barisan Nasional (BN), as the coalition has managed to obtain the majority vote in the assembly with 28 members and three “BN-friendly” independent representatives on its side.
Political observers will continue to question the validity of today’s state assembly sitting, even if the court rules in favour of Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and declares him as the rightful Perak Mentri Besar on Monday.
What happened today is an embarrassing episode for Malaysia, known for its multi-racial society, rich culture and eastern values and a society that respects one another.
Soon after the Regent of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah inspected the guard-of-honour and proceeded to the royal chambers, the opposition assemblymen hurriedly entered the assembly hall to ensure their seating positions were changed to the right side of the speaker, which is allocated for members of the ruling party.
According to the assembly proceedings, Sivakumar refused to start proceedings for as long as Zambry, the BN assemblymen, as well as the Independent assemblymen, were in the House.
Political analyst Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said what happened today should not have happened in the context of Malaysia’s democracy.
He said that with the latest development, there was a need for Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak to intervene to find an end to the problem.
“Although the Sultan is above politics, in several situations, like what happened today, intervention by the Ruler is necessary,” he added.
The deputy dean of social science studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia said what was facing the BN-led state government now was similar to the situation after the March 8 general election last year.
“In principle, BN had the majority at that time, but the Sultan made a wise decision (by appointing a mentri besar from the opposition after they formed a loose coalition to take over the Perak government),” he added.
He said the actions by the opposition of late was to get the people’s support, as it portrayed them (opposition) as the victim.
“If one episode after another happens, who is on the right side? Are they (the state assemblymen) going to continue to be at odds to an extent that the state’s administration and the people are left to become victims of all the political games,” he added.
