The Perak state assembly sitting called by ousted Pakatan Rakyat speaker V Sivakumar endorsed the decision to sentence Barisan Nasional speaker R Ganesan and BN friendly independent Hee Yit Foong to six months in jail and fine the duo RM500,000.
The decision was made by the Rights and Privileges Committee appointed by the Pakatan state government last year in a report dated July 31 that was tabled at the sitting today.
During the sitting held at the Heritage Hotel in Ipoh, emotions ran high when debating on Ganesan disobeying Sivakumar's orders to vacate the state assembly during the tumultuous May 7 sitting.
Pakatan reps said Ganesan, who is not an assemblyperson, was also seen sitting on the BN bench. The MIC leader was later 'elected' speaker under controversial circumstances.
Another point of contention was that Ganesan had later instructed police personnel to forcibly remove Sivakumar from the speaker's chair.
Hee on the other hand was punished for usurping Sivakumar's role as speaker and allowing BN reps to pass a vote to elect Ganesan as the new speaker.
After the committee report was endorsed by the house, Sivakumar said he would order the police to take action based on the report.
Elevated seat for speaker
Initially, Sivakumar and the Pakatan state reps had tried to convene the sitting at the state assembly hall, which is within the premises of the state secretariat building.
However, the building was cordoned off by the police since morning. After an half-hour stand off and several run-ins with the police, Sivakumar and the Pakatan reps moved to Heritage Hotel.
At the hotel, Sivakumar sat on an elevated seat while Pakatan-appointed assembly secretary Misbahul Munir Masduki sat below him.
Seats for state reps were arranged in the shape of a horse-shoe with Pakatan reps seated on the speaker's right (reserved for the ruling government), while seats reserved for the opposition were vacant.
No seats were prepared for those who Sivakumar declared had resigned in February or suspended during the March 3 'tree assembly'.
Those whom Sivakumar had declared to have submitted undated resignation letters were three BN-friendly independents Hee (Jelapang), Mohd Osman Jailu (Changkat Jering) and Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (Behrang).
Those who were suspended during the 'tree assembly' were BN Menteri Besar Zambry Abd Kadir (Pangkor), Zainol Fadzi Paharuddin (Sungai Manik), Ramly Zahari (Manong), Hamidah Osman (Sungai Rapat), Saarani Mohamad (Kota Tampan), Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid (Kamunting) and Mah Hang Soon (Chenderiang).
Police come under fire
Meanwhile, the 'hotel sitting' also saw the re-election of three legislative assembly committees - Rights and Privileges, Public Accounts and Standing Orders.
Following this, there was a heated debate over an emergency motion condemning the police for acting as 'BN's apparatus' in stopping Pakatan reps from fulfilling their duties this morning.
Nga Kor Ming (DAP-Pantai Remis) warned that the offence was punishable with up to seven years imprisonment.
At a press conference later, Sivakumar maintained that the state assembly was still urging for the Sultan to dissolve the assembly, as decided during a motion passed at the 'tree assembly'.
"Since the assembly is still not dissolved, we are forced to hold this sitting," he said.
According to the Perak constitution, the state assembly must meet every six months. Although it is silent on what would happen if a lapse occurred, legal experts believe that this would lead to an automatic dissolution.
Ousted Menteri Besar Nizar Jamaluddin urged the police to respect the house and carry out the speaker's orders for arrest.
"If they do not take action, that is beyond our jurisdiction," he said, adding that once the minutes are gazetted it would be submitted to the palace.
Nizar maintained that the May 7 sitting did not convene and all decisions made then was null and void because the proper procedures were not followed.
Malaysiakini
02/09/09
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