Making Sense of Perak Constitutional Crisis

Since March 08 Malaysian General Election, the Barisan Nasional (BN) has lost its two-third majority in the Parliament. The political awareness of the people has generally risen; and the people's frustration towards the BN led government has heightened.

Our inclination for change has stripped BN of its control over 5 states: Perlis, Penang, Perak, Selangor and Kelantan. We have sent strong message of disapproval of BN’s political monopoly, rampant money politics and corruption, religious persecution and power abuse, ineffectiveness management, and misuse of public funds, just to name a few. But has BN especially the great UMNO waken from its slumber after the previous 308 General Election?

For Perak, we have spoken during the General Election. We have chosen our own representatives from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR). However UMNO has chosen to ignore our voice. It happened out of the blue, in the most dramatic manner, three PR state assemblymen were allegedly hijacked, threatened and bought over by UMNO. And BN has thus, claimed they have obtain the people’s consent to set up new state government. And in the hastiest manner, Zambry was installed as the new Menteri Besar (MB) of Perak while Nizar was still the rightful MB elected by the people. In actual procedure, a motion must be passed and the majority of the state assemblymen must cast no-confidence vote against the current MB in order to oust the MB-in-power. However bypassing the normal procedure, Najib has brought the whole issue to the Sultan.

Only one word to describe the current situation now: commotion. There was an unexpected backlash from the people which I believed Najib and his chorus boys have underestimated. The anger was evidenced by the PR landslide winning in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau by-elections recently. The people now stand together more united, regardless of race and religion, to slam the unconstitutional take over. We demand to dissolve the state assembly, and call for fresh election so that the people may choose. But Najib, Zambry and other BN component parties, being cowards for fear of losing, refused to call for fresh election in Perak. Who is Najib, or Zambry to decide what is best for the people? They have failed to realize that election is the fundamental of a democratic system, without which is democracy is like body without soul; without which, democracy is dead.

To each and everyone’s disappointment, more childish acts were staged by BN, trying to justify their take over. We have seen how the election commission, the country judiciary system, royal police force, Anti Corruption Agency, mainstream media etc. were manipulated in favour of BN. Looking at the so many inconsistencies, everything, to me was nothing but a set up, a conspiracy. Many questions remain unanswered.

(1) What is the role of the election commission? Does the commission has the right to deny the dissolution of the state assembly when instructed by Nizar, the then and now MB? Is the election committee allowed to openly support or oppose any political party? And I thought the committee was supposed to be independent. Does the election committee have the authority to declare which by-election is necessary and which is not as what happened in the imminent Penanti by-election?

(2) Who is the State Secretary? Why is the appointed State Secretary having more authority than the MB, the Speaker and the state assemblymen who are elected by the people? Who is the State Secretary to defy the orders from the MB, the Speaker and the state assemblymen? I do not know how far this is true but I was told that the State Secretary is just another clerk in the State Assembly. Has the clerk then been given the authority to lock up the Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan and forbid the state assembly meeting being held?

(3) By what authority the police have to stop the state assemblymen from going into Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan to have the state assembly meeting? Who they thought they were when they came up with weird instruction banning the use of the name “Altantuya” during the by-election campaigns in Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Batang Ai? I wonder who they think they are…

(4) Why was it that the Anti Corruption Agency suddenly became so efficient and busy with Selangor MB’s car-and-cow issues? But they were blind towards Khir Toyo and his family visit to Disneyland, and his bungalow scandal in the Mecca. They ignored as well, the money politics of the Melaka MB. I just could not understand.

(5) Has the judiciary system power over the legislative? Can the judge declare the motions that has been passed in the state assembly (or Parliament) as null as void?

(6) How could the UMNO youths be allowed to enter the Parliament compound to harass wheelchair bound MP, Karpal Singh? Why were the Parliament security guards not defending the victim but standing there doing nothing? Why was there no action taken to the UMNO gangsters?

There are many other questions awaiting for real and true answers. I am as confused as the many other Malaysians who love Malaysia. And I do not think my questions will ever be answered as long as the severely corrupted UMNO is still in power…

As Zambry is pushing his way to boot the Speaker out and to secure his grip of power, our voice has once again been ignored. It is also very clear that UMNO has waken from its slumber but fallen into another self-obsessive daydreaming. Like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand. UMNO is still trying to deceive itself that it has lost the by-elections because of the ungrateful non Malay voters. Muhyiddin, the Deputy Prime Minister said that non Malay voters have accepted BN’s election goodies, but have not voted for BN! And it was BN politician’s flip-flop nature to later deny having said or meant such a thing and to blame the media for having distorted his speech.

Standing under the Tree of Democracy, I sighed at the BN’s narrow mindedness for not wanting to leave the tree alone. It is just a tree. They have recently planted twenty over trees (or shrubs) around the Tree of Democracy, and named that plot of land as Taman Istana. Your guess is as good as mine: what are they trying to do? The newly planted trees were all withering away due to the lack of sunlight and water. What a waste of public fund and resources! The money, time and manpower should have been channeled elsewhere!

Leaflets were seen all over the place, spreading rumours about a DAP state assembly member’s involvement in extra-marital affair with another married man. Gosh, the politicians are getting more and more unscrupulous for their own agenda these days. The DAP lady politician has clearly beome the next BN target after Elizabeth Wong.

When the drowning is trying to catch at straws, UMNO and BN are getting more and more irrelevant in Malaysian context. If they continue to stand in our nation’s way towards greater freedom, justice, love and peace, we have no choice but to uproot them and throw them into the fiery furnace. Expect them to change? We have given UMNO and BN 50 over years to do so. They are already rotten at the very core of their being and they are beyond redemption. Well, fear not! They are not indispensible; and only by disposing of them, Malaysia will have a better and brighter future.