Perak speaker seeks special sitting

IPOH: State assembly speaker V. Sivakumar wrote to Sultan Azlan Shah last week to seek the ruler's consent to summon a special sitting of the assembly.

Former menteri besar Da- tuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said Pakatan Rakyat would table a motion of confidence in itself at the sitting.

He said another motion would be filed, stating that Barisan Nasional did not command the support of the majority of state assemblymen and, thus, could not form the state government.

He said yesterday that the motion of confidence was to prove that the coalition was the legitimate state government of the day.

"A motion in that respect will be tabled at the next state assembly sitting and we will prove that the Pakatan Rakyat menteri besar has the confidence of the majority to govern the state," he told a press conference before moving out of the official residence of the menteri besar.
Nizar said the second motion would be moved against Barisan Nasional to prove that the latter could not claim to be the legitimate state government as its majority in the assembly had been reduced to 21 compared with Pakatan's 28 seats.

"The BN majority must be tested and this will now be done in the state assembly.

"We will show the people whether (menteri besar) Datuk (Dr) Zambry (Abdul Kadir) has the support of the majority," he said, adding that any state assemblyman could move the motions.

Nizar anticipated chaos at the next sitting of the state assembly.

"I foresee turmoil and chaotic decisions, especially at the beginning of the assembly because the three frogs (referring to state assemblymen Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu and Hee Yit Foong who quit PR) have been suspended besides Zambry and the state executive councillors.

"Pakatan now has 28 seats and BN has only 21. So we now have the majority. And, they (BN) are worried about that. So we can expect some chaos and turmoil."

Asked to comment on public perception that Sivakumar's decision to suspend Zambry and his exco was biased and in favour of Pakatan, he said the decision was based on sound judgment and in accordance with rules and regulations.

"If he (Sivakumar) feels satisfied that his is the correct decision, then nobody can question or challenge his decision.

"He was not acting on the basis of bias or as the state assemblyman for Tronoh.

"Obviously, he will act on behalf of truth, be fair and just. The perception that the speaker is biased is merely a perception."