Perlis Speaker will not submit quit letter to EC

Perlis Speaker Yazid Mat will not submit the resignation letter of Titi Tinggi assemblyman Yip Sun Onn to the Election Commission.

Confirming this with The Malaysian Insider when contacted this evening, Yazid said that he was still “considering” what to do with the letter.

“We are trying to speak to him, trying to persuade him to come back to the Dewan. We have to cool him down,” he said.

He claimed that this message had already been conveyed to Yip through the latter’s close friend in the state executive council.

“He has calmed down now... he has positively calmed down,” he said.

Yazid also scoffed at DAP leader Lim Kit Siang’s claim that the speaker had no right to try and convince an assemblyman to retract a resignation letter and should instead exercise standard protocol by submitting it to the EC.

Once the letter reaches the EC, a by-election would have to be called for the state seat within 60 days.

“That is his (Lim’s) own narrow interpretation of my role. As the speaker, it is still within my jurisdiction to accept the letter. Anyway, it is none of his business.... this is not even his state,” he said.

Yazid also admitted that he had already known about the letter since yesterday, saying that a meeting was immediately called to discuss the matter with Yip.

“Yes, we held a meeting in the mentri besar’s guest room yesterday with Yip, myself, two exco members and my deputy speaker.

“At the time, Yip was angry, he was very angry,” he said.

Yazid said that at the meeting, Yip had lashed out at the MCA top leadership, blaming them for his removal from the state executive council line-up.

During the swearing-in on Friday, Yip, who was formerly the New Town Development, Local Council and Housing Committee chairman, was replaced by Indera Kayangan assemblyman Dr Por Choo Chor.

“He (Yip) was not angry with the mentri besar or his other colleagues in the Perlis government. He was angry with the MCA leaders,” said Yazid.

He admitted that Yip had yet to inform him he wanted to retract the letter but still said he would not be submitting it to the EC.

“Let some time pass, we will settle this amicably. There is no need to rush. I think we have managed to diffuse the situation,” he said.

He added that there was no time frame for him to submit the letter to the EC.

courtesy of Malaysian Insider

UPDATED

As reports filtered in about Barisan Nasional and MCA leaders frantically trying to get him to reconsider his decision, opposition stalwart Lim Kit Siang warned them about the legal repercussions.

Describing the resignation as a “political bombshell”, the veteran DAP leader also stressed on the existence of a “legal bombshell” in the equation.

“Yip’s letter of resignation cannot be retracted or it could be challenged in a court of law.

“Various parties, including the speaker (Yazid Mat), Perlis Menteri Besar Md Isa Sabu and Perlis MCA chief Chew Mei Fun are trying to persuade Yip to reconsider his resignation.

“But this is too late. Once Yip’s resignation letter had been received by the speaker, it cannot be retracted.

“If Yip tries to do so, his status as a state assemblyman could be challenged in a court of law, as Yip would be an unlawful state assemblyman from the date of his resignation and the speaker would be acting unlawfully in allowing the resignation letter to be retracted,” he said.

courtesy of FMT