IPOH ( May 7, 2009): Commotion reigned at the Perak state assembly sitting today after Speaker V.Sivakumar refused to start proceedings for as long as Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, the six Barisan Nasional (BN) executive councillors and three Independent assemblymen were in the House.Immediately after taking his seat at about 10am, Sivakumar ordered the 10 assemblymen to leave the hall on the basis that they had been suspended.The commotion that ensued left the Regent of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah waiting in the holding Royal Room, for the official opening of the assembly session. Zambry and the other nine assemblymen, however, ignored Sivakumar's order. Former Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammed Nizar Jamaluddin and his former executive council (exco) members remained seated at the seats allocated for the Menteri Besar and exco members, while Zambry and the new exco members were seated on the opposition side. Zambry then stood and proposed a motion to sack Sivakumar as Speaker, with the 27 BN assembymen and three Independents raising their hands in support. But Sivakumar rejected the motion and explained that Zambry could not table the motion as he had been suspended from the assembly. This caused the assemblymen on both sides of the political divide to hurl insults at each other. Zambry then proposed the motion again which was supported by the BN and Independent assemblymen. In response, Sivakumar ordered the House sergeant-at-arms to remove the 10 assemblymen but Zambry said Sivakumar had been expelled.At 10.48am, Deputy Speaker Hee Yit Fong then took over to preside over the assembly sitting from the opposition seat. Zambry then proposed that former Sungkai assemblyman Datuk R. Ganesan be appointed as the new Speaker and the motion was supported by the BN assemblymen and Independents.The commotion continued with Sivakumar still acting as Speaker. But after the motion on the appointment of a new Speaker was approv ed by the BN supporters, Hee invited Ganesan to enter the hall. Zambry then put the official robe over Ganesan, who took the oath of office right away and took over the proceeding from Hee. Meanwhile, the opposition assemblymen and Sivakumar just watched what was going on. Ganesan continued with the proceeding by accepting four more motions -- the appointment of new members for three committees, namely the Standing Order Committee, Rights and Privileges Committee and State Public Accounts Committee, and to invalidate the "under-the-tree" state assembly sitting chaired by Sivakumar and attended by several assemblymen led by Muhammad Nizar on March 3. All the motions, tabled by Datuk Hamidah Osman (BN-Sungai Rapat) and seconded by Datuk Shaarani Mohamad (BN-Kota Tampan), were passed without debate with a show of hands by all the BN assemblymen and Independents. Earlier, when Ganesan announced that the first motion was passed, the opposition assemblymen repeatedly cried "haram" (illegal) in chorus, but kept quiet when Ganesan continued with the proceeding, ignoring the heckling. After the four motions were passed, Titi Serong assemblyman Khalil Idham Lim from PAS was seen handing slips of paper to Sivakumar who was still seated on the Speaker's chair. Sivakumar then stood up and announced that he rejected all the motions, but he was ignored by Ganesan and the BN and Independent assemblymen. At 11.15am, Zambry asked for the sitting to be adjourned for one hour. It was seconded by Hamidah and unanimously supported by the BN assemblymen and Independents after it was put to the vote.There was calm after all the assemblymen, including from the opposition, returned to the assembly hall but Sivakumar still went for the Speaker's chair. It was past noon and the assembly session had yet to be declared open by the Perak Regent. -- BERNAMA
| Lim Kit Siang being cautioned not to enter Perak Darul Ridzuan Building where the Perak state assembly is taking place. | PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub (centre) detained by Police after refusing to leave the State Secretarial ground. |
| Police stand guard outside a nearby restaurant to prevent opposition leaders from congregating there. |
