Perak DAP says snap polls the only way out

By Shannon Teoh

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 — Perak DAP chief Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham has repeated the call to dissolve the state assembly and have snap elections to find a clear solution to the continuing constitutional crisis in the state.

This comes despite the fact that Speaker V. Sivakumar, who is also the DAP assemblyman for Tronoh, suspended Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and his six exco members yesterday for 18 months and a year respectively.

The move would give Pakatan Rakyat a majority in the assembly should it choose to table a no-confidence vote in Zambry, although Sivakumar's powers as speaker and as chairman of the rights and privileges committee are being questioned.

As such, Ngeh told The Malaysian Insider today, the best solution to the impasse is to have snap polls.

"I call for snap elections to be held immediately to solve the present crisis which will have a negative impact on the people of Perak if prolonged especially in view of the current economic crisis," he said.

Although this implies that he is not confident that Sivakumar's decision would be upheld, Ngeh added that the decision of the speaker and the committee "was based on constitutional provisions and must be respected".

"We see now how the constitution protects us from any party who grabs power unconstitutionally, illegally and undemocratically," he added.

Barisan Nasional chairman-elect Datuk Seri Najib Razak had masterminded a Feb 5 takeover of the state which saw four assemblymen pulling out of PR and effectively joining BN.

Pensiangan polls: Kurup's appeal hearing Jan 15

Kota Kinabalu: The Federal Court in Putrajaya has rescheduled to Jan 15, hearing of Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) President Tan Sri Joseph Kurup's appeal against an Election Court decision that declared null and void his win in Pensiangan during the March 8, 2008 general election.

The appeal was earlier fixed to be heard Wednesday (Jan 7).

Kurup's lawyer George Aludah told Daily Express that the Federal Court informed them last week of the new date of hearing the appeal.

On Sept 8 last year Judge David Wong Dak Wah held that Kurup, who was the Barisan Nasional candidate, was not duly returned as the winning candidate for the Pensiangan parliamentary seat.

He also awarded costs to the petitioner, Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) Danny Anthony Andipai, whose candidacy for the Pensiangan seat was rejected by the Returning Officer Bubudan OT Majalu on Feb 24, last year, the nomination day for the country's 12th general election.

The judge held that the wrongful rejection of Andipai's nomination papers by Bubudan had breached his (Andipai) constitutional right to take part in the election and with it the written law relating to the conduct of election.

Andipai, who is Nabawan PKR chief, filed the petition on April 9, 2008 naming Kurup and Bubudan as the first and second respondents, respectively.

He claimed that Bubudan had planned to make available only one counter for the delivery of nomination papers for Pensiangan and the State seats of Sook and Nabawan.

He contended that the plan was to prevent the timely delivery of nomination papers from other candidates to enable Kurup to be returned unopposed in the election on nomination day.

Andipai was represented by Haji Ansari Abdullah and Datuk Chau Chin Tang, while Kurup's lawyers were Alex Decena, Wilson Lai, Hajah Mariati Robert and Lau Cheung Hoon.

Senior Federal Counsel Suzana Atan, Chandradevi Letchumanan and Amrjeet Singh represented Bubudan.

Money politics: ACA report lodged over divisional polls

By SARBAN SINGH

SEREMBAN: Seremban Umno division chief Datuk Ishak Ismail lodged a report against a state exco member Thursday for allegedly bribing a branch chairman in the recent divisional elections.

Ishak claimed the state committee chairman had given the branch chief RM1,000 in September to nominate the former for the post of division head.

“I was told that the state committee chairman gave the branch chairman a cheque and I have a photocopy of this,” he said when met at the state Anti-Corruption Agency office here.

Ishak said a friend of the branch chief had made a photocopy of the cheque and handed it to him as he was afraid to pursue the matter.

“When I did my own investigations, it was confirmed that the cheque was made out for the branch chief. I hope the ACA can investigate this as there had been claims of corruption involved in this particular divisional elections,” he claimed.