Nizar awaits court's written judgment

Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is waiting for the written judgment from the appellate court before filing his appeal in the Federal Court to overturn the court ruling yesterday recognising BN's Zambry Abd Kadir as the legitimate Perak menteri besar.

Ousted Perak menteri besar Nizar said his legal team would start preparing the necessary documents on Monday for the impending appeal.

"But we need the written judgment to analyse the grounds of judgment in the appellate court decision. We will then prepare our case accordingly,'" he told journalists when accompanying PKR candidate Mansor Othman to the Penanti by-election nomination centre at Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara in Permatang Pauh, Penang this morning.

The Court of Appeal yesterday allowed Zambry’s appeal and reversed the earlier Kuala Lumpur High Court decision which declared PAS leader Nizar as the rightful menteri besar of Perak.

Justice Md Raus Sharif - who led a three-member Court of Appeal bench - gave a five-minute oral judgment which he said was a unanimous decision by the panel. According to him, a written judgment will be released in a week’s time.

Nizar echoed Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim in expressing disappointment in the court decision but said he was not surprised by the judgment.

According to Nizar, Pakatan Rakyat would continue its effort to dissolve the state assembly and hold a fresh snap election to elect a legitimate government even if it failed to obtain a favourable outcome in the courts.

"The court is just another option for us to resolve the state political impasse. We will exhaust other ways and means in order to restore democracy and allow the people to elect their government.

"Perak citizens, not the court, are the rightful people to decide who is the legitimate menteri besar. The court is merely an avenue to seek legal redress based on interpretation of the letters of law," he explained.

‘Emulate me, dissolve the assembly’

Now that Zambry is the menteri besar - pending an appeal to Federal Court - Nizar called on the BN leader to emulate him by advising the Perak palace to dissolve the assembly.

"When I was reinstated as menteri besar for a short period by the High Court, I immediately sought a royal audience to dissolve the assembly.

"Zambry should do the same and return the mandate to the people to choose their government," he said, taking a dig at the BN leader for hanging on to the court's decision to remain as menteri besar when he should have sought a fresh public mandate.

However, Nizar said BN would not dare to hold an election in Perak as the coalition would suffer a massive defeat, pointedly noting that Umno had dared not contest even in the Penanti by-election.

He said BN and Umno were fully aware that Perak citizens are behind Pakatan in the on-going political crisis and want an election to end the three-month impasse.

Nizar said the argument that it would be a waste of public resources to hold fresh elections in Perak does not hold water given that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had announced the coalition’s intention to contest the forthcoming Manik Urai state by-election in Kelantan.

"Since when BN and Umno learned to save public money," he said sarcastically.

On talks suggested by Najib to end the impasse, Nizar stressed that Pakatan was willing to enter into a dialogue to resolve the crisis amicably and had already made contacts with BN leadership.

"But such talks must be sincere and open to resolve the crisis according to democratic norms. Pakatan's aim is to restore the people's rights to elect a legitimate state government in Perak," he said.

Malaysiakini
23/05/09

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