High drama in battle for Perak as BN offers to form govt

Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin gestures to stress a point at his press conference in Ipoh this afternoon. — Picture by Choo Choy May

IPOH, Feb 4 – The Barisan Nasional (BN) made its case for taking over the Perak state government today when a PKR state assemblyman defected back to Umno while three independents pledged their support for the coalition.

Jamaludin Mohd Radzi, Osman Jailu, Hee Yit Foong will back a BN government while Datuk Nasarudin Hashim, who had just two weeks earlier defected to PKR returned back to Umno.

“BN now has the majority to form the next government. We will seek an audience with the Perak Sultan.

“BN has 28 seats now, which is equal with Pakatan Rakyat, but we have three extra who are friendly to Umno and BN,” Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said at a press conference in Putrajaya today.

All four assemblymen appeared at the press cobnference with Najib.

Jamaluddin, Osman and Hee had earlier turned independent while Nasarudin had defected to PKR less than two weeks ago.

With their defections, it is looking likely that BN will get to form the state government.

More PKR lawmakers are expected to defect to BN.

Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin is meeting Sultan Azlan Shah now for his consent to dissolve the state assembly in a bid to head off attempts by the opposition Barisan Nasional to form a new state government.

Nizar’s abrupt move comes amid swirling rumours more Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen are defecting to BN, on top of the three who had turned independent.

With the defections to BN, the Pakatan Rakyat will only have 28 seats to Barisan Nasional’s 31 in the 59-seat assembly.

Nizar is now resting PR’s hopes on the Sultan in the hope that consent will be granted for fresh polls.

The PR alliance of PKR, Pas and DAP are confident of winning fresh polls with a bigger mandate.

The Malaysian Insider
04/02/09