‘Perak Speaker Can Only Be Represented By State Legal Adviser’
Bernama
March 05, 2009 18:58 PM
IPOH, March 5 (Bernama) — The High Court has ruled that Perak State Legislative Assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar can only be represented by the State Legal Adviser in the suits brought by 10 members of the assembly including Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.
Zambry and the six State Executive Councillors — Datuk Ramly Zahari, Datuk Saarani Mohamad, Hamidah Osman, Zainol Fadzi Paharuddin, Mohd Zahir Abdul Khalid and Dr Mah Hang Soon — are seeking a declaration that the speaker’s decision in suspending and preventing them from attending the assembly’s sittings for 18 months (for Zambry) and 12 months (for the rest) null and void.
There independent lawmakers — Jamaluddin Md Radzi, Capt (R) Mohd Osman Jailu and Hee Yit — want the court to declare that their Behrang, Changkat Jering and Jelapang seats not vacant and that they are still legitimate people’s representatives.
Counsel Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun, a member of the team of lawyers representing all the plaintiffs, told reporters that Judicial Commissioner Ridwan Hashim accepted two points forwarded by his side to object the appointment of private lawyers to represent the Speaker.
First, he said, the Speaker is a public official and a branch of the government and his salary is paid through the state government’s Consolidated Fund.
Second, the preamble of the Perak Constitution explains that the executive body to the state assembly is an organ of the state government, he said. Continue reading “Believe it or not!”