Toppled Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin said today’s Federal Court ruling that upheld Barisan Nasional (BN) as the rightful state government will lead to an “absolute monarchy.”
“If this decision goes on and becomes the law of the day, it will lead to an absolute monarchy,” Nizar said after the apex court declared Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir the rightful mentri besar.
“That means the ruler can now dismiss the prime minister or the mentri besar at any time,” said the grim-faced PAS leader.
While Nizar accepted the court decision, he claimed the ruling had “neglected constitutional precedents” and ignored the wishes of the voters.
He slammed the BN government as an “illegitimate” one which had been supported by today’s decision.
But Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail described the ruling as a “very clear judgment with very, very sound reasonings.”
“There’s no doubt about it. What it has done was to reaffirm the court decision that Datuk Zambry is the rightful mentri besar,” Abdul Gani said, referring to the Federal Court decision read by Chief judge of Malaya, Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria upholding the earlier Court of Appeal decision.
The Court of Appeal ruled last May 22 that Nizar had lost the confidence of the majority of the Perak assemblymen and must resign after failing to get the Perak sultan to dissolve the state assembly and pave the way for fresh elections when three PR lawmakers turned independent early February 2009.
Abdul Gani appeared incensed when a reporter asked him if today’s decision would lead to an “absolute monarchy in Perak” as suggested by Nizar.
“No! How can you make such a statement?” he retorted.
“Have you read your constitution? Carefully?” he pressed the reporter asking the question who replied he had.
Abdul Gani was unsatisfied with the reply however, and called the man “a disgrace” for asking that question.
“It’s not right. It’s wrong. Everybody has a place — the judiciary, executive, sultan. Everybody has a place,” he stressed.
“What we are known as is a constitutional monarchy system,” he added.
Lawyer Datuk Cecil Abraham who acted for Zambry later told reporters in court: “This decision is binding on the state government and the federal government.”
Zambry himself was absent in court and apparently attending a mentris besar and chief ministers’ meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Meanwhile other PR leaders shared Nizar’s disappointment over today’s ruling.
DAP veteran and Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang blasted the verdict as the “legalisation of BN’s coup d’etat” and said today is a “sad day for parliamentary democracy.”
Gopeng PKR MP and party vice-president Dr Lee Boon Chye on the other hand remain optimistic, saying that the verdict is “a temporary setback” for PR and said they “may lose Perak today but will win it back in the next general elections.”
Nizar concurred, saying PR’s focus for now would be winning the silver state back in the next general polls which is slated to take place within thee years time.
The ousted MB also said that their lawyers will look at the prospect of further actions once the written judgment is obtained.
news courtesy of Malaysian Insider
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