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Dr M says Perak grab unlawful

Malaysian Insider
March 14, 2009
By Shannon Teoh

KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 — More than a month after Barisan Nasional ousted Pakatan Rakyat from Perak, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said the takeover was not done according to the law.

He said mistakes, bad strategy and carelessness in the Feb 5 power grab, orchestrated by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, had led to the current crisis in the state.

“You cannot topple a menteri besar or a prime minister without a no-confidence vote in the assembly. There is no other provision,” he said at a function organised by Mubarak, the association for former elected representatives.

“Umno-BN was too careless and did not wait for an assembly but instead asked the Ruler to sack the menteri besar,” he said, referring to Sultan Azlan Shah’s decision to ask Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin to resign.

“As far as I know, there is no such provision in the Perak or Federal Constitution,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said that BN should have done it properly and not “be in conflict with the law” as the courts may now rule that the Sultan has no right to sack a menteri besar.

He added that a Sultan could only reject a candidate for one of his choice after an election but even this candidate could be defeated in the assembly by a vote. Continue reading “Dr M says Perak grab unlawful”

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Double jeopardy – Motion to suspend Gobind for one year without pay against parliamentary Standing Orders

The motion to be moved by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz to suspend DAP MP for Puchong Gobind Singh Deo for a year without parliamentary pay and privileges is against the parliamentary Standing Orders.

Gobind had already been punished by the Deputy Speaker, Datuk Ronald Kiandee with a one-day suspension for what transpired in the House on Thursday, and it goes against all the rudiments of common sense, fair play and justice to invoke the Umno/Barisan Nasional parliamentary majority to subject Gobind to double jeopardy with a very harsh second punishment over the same parliamentary incident. Continue reading “Double jeopardy – Motion to suspend Gobind for one year without pay against parliamentary Standing Orders”

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Baggage too heavy for our new PM

By Tunku Aziz
Opinion | The Malaysian Insider | 13 March 2009

No one in living memory has ever had to drag so much unnecessary baggage along with him as Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak is doing on assuming the highest political office in Malaysia.

My heart naturally goes out to the unfortunate man who has had to fend off, without a break, a relentless barrage of poison-tipped arrows all aimed at his personal and public integrity.

I will not claim to know how he must feel because I would have absolutely no idea unless I were in his well-heeled shoes. And this would be most unlikely even in a million years.

Under different and happier circumstances, he should be celebrating his moment of destiny, the attainment, albeit Umno-style, of the greatest political prize of all.
Continue reading “Baggage too heavy for our new PM”

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Further vandalism of Democracy Plaque – Spirit of Democracy Relic inspires fear

The Democracy Tree plaque in Ipoh can be vandalized and desecrated but the spirit for democracy will grow stronger and more determined.

This was what happened when the Democracy Tree plaque was vandalized in the small hours of yesterday morning, with the vandals smashing into smithereens the top portion of the democracy plaque, turning it into a Democracy Relic.

But the Democracy Relic also inspires fear among the enemies of democracy and freedom in Perak and Malaysia.

In the small hours of this morning, like thieves in the night, the vandals went to work again, pouring black paint to erase the wordings of the Democracy Relic immortalizing the historic “Tree Perak State Assembly” on March 3, 2009, which has entered the folklore of the human struggle for democracy, attracting national and international interest and attention.

The enemies of democracy are in mortal fear of the Democracy Tree, Democracy Plaque and the Democratic Relic.

Democracy Tree Plaque Vandalised Further with Black Paint
Continue reading “Further vandalism of Democracy Plaque – Spirit of Democracy Relic inspires fear”