Pakatan Rakyat - Opposition leaders decry court’s ruling

PETALING JAYA: Opposition party leaders have expressed disappointment over the Federal Court’s unanimous decision to declare Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir as Perak’s rightful Mentri Besar.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng urged Barisan Nasional to dissolve the Perak state assembly and hold fresh elections.

Lim, who is Penang Chief Minister, said Barisan has to restore democracy and the constitutional right of the people to determine their government.

“Any government that does not have any directly elected mandate violates the democratic principle of people’s power,” he said in a statement yesterday.

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, who was also at the press conference at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya yesterday, described the unanimous decision as shameful.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the Pakatan Rakyat would continue its political battle to wrest Perak from the Barisan despite the Federal Court’s ruling.

He said PKR regarded the decision as a black mark in the history of the country’s judiciary.

“It definitely will not break Pakatan’s spirit in its efforts to ensure its victory in Perak in the next general election,” he said.

The party’s political bureau chief Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said the court has decided that the principles of constitutional law, parliamentary democracy and justice were subservient to political wishes.

“It means that the Malay Rulers now have an absolute power over the Chief Executive of the State.

“The Sultan now not only has the power to refuse the appointment of anyone proposed by the government of the day as the Mentri Besar that he disapproves of, he also has the power to dismiss the said Mentri Besar if he so wishes,” he said.

He said it seemed that the constitutional requirement that a constitutional head only acted on the advice of the Mentri Besar or the Prime Minister was now no longer applicable.

PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat called on the people to reject the Federal Court decision.

He said in Kota Baru that it was not wrong for the people to reject the decision because people have recently demonstrated their displeasure over a High Court decision.

He said it was not wrong to demonstrate against the decision as it was part of democracy.

Perak DAP chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham claimed that if fresh elections were not called, the rights of 54% of the people of Perak whom he claimed supported Pakatan, would be denied.