By FMT staff
KUALA LUMPUR: The Perak Pakatan Rakyat state assemblymen want Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir to respect the wishes of the rakyat and allow Tronoh assemblyman V Sivakumar to chair the upcoming state assembly.
Setiawan assemblyman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham said Zambry’s approval was important to avoid confusion in relation to the legal status of the state assembly speaker.
“I ask Zambry to respect the rakyat’s wishes. Allow Sivakumar to chair the upcoming assembly. If Datuk (R) Ganesan presides as speaker, it will be inviting a controversy, “ he said.
On Feb 6 last year, Perak plunged into a constitutional crisis following the Umno-BN coup in which elected former Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaludin was ousted.
In a subsequent action, Sivakumar, the Pakatan appointed state assembly speaker was unceremonious ejected from his chambers and replaced by BN-appointed Ganesan.
Last month the Federal Court had ruled in favour of Zambry as the rightful Menteri Besar of Perak instead of Nizar.
Following the ruling, Nizar and team had agreed to cooperate with the BN government. However they have since refused to adhere with a notice for the March 30 state assembly meeting sent out by Ganesan. The Pakatan assemblymen do not recognise Ganesan as the state speaker.
Sivakumar is currently in a wrangle with Ganesan over the legality of the later’s appointment.
Ngeh said despite the uncertainty, all the 27 Perak Pakatan assemblymen were prepared to carry out their responsibility and adhere to the regulations of the assembly.
"We have forwarded our written questions to the Umno-BN assemblymen. We are prepared to take a professional approach towards our commitment to the rakyat,” he said.
He however added that Zambry should remember that the people were still unhappy with the Umno-BN coup last year.
Meanwhile Sivakumar, who maintains that he is the rightful state speaker, reportedly has issued his own notices to convene the March assembly sitting.
