MALAYSIAN PM SAYS PERAK SULTAN SHOULD NOT BE BLAMED

By Mohd Nasir Yusoff

MANADO (North Sulawesi), May 15 (Bernama) -- Najib Razak Friday pointed out
that the Sultan of Perak who had adopted the principles and spirit of democracy
when appointing the Menteri Besar from the opposition and also the federal
ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) or National Front, should not be blamed for the
current political crisis in the Peninsular Malaysia's northern state of Perak.

The Malaysian Prime Minister said he too should not be blamed for
purportedly causing the crisis which had dragged on for more than three months.

"In practicing our democracy, the people will choose their elected
representatives and the Sultan will appoint the candidate from the party that
has gained the majority as the Menteri Besar," he said at a media conference
with Malaysian journalists at the end of his two-day working visit here to
attend the Summit Meeting of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) which was being
held for the first time.

He said the Ruler of Perak had adopted the same procedure when appointing
Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir from the BN as the Chief Minister just like he did when
appointing Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin from opposition Islamist Parti Islam
seMalaysia (PAS) after the 2008 general election.

After the general election, he said, Sultan Azlan Shah had appointed
Mohammad Nizar after obtaining the agreement of the majority of the State
Assemblymen who had nominated Mohammad Nizar as Menteri Besar.

Najib said that after the opposition parties had lost the majority, the
Sultan of Perak then appointed the candidate nominated by the BN after three
opposition Assemblymen had declared themselves as Independents and gave their
support to Zambry as Chief Minister.

"Don't forget...don't blame Tuanku. In the 2008 general election, the BN was
the only party that had the majority in the State Assembly with 28 seats...the
opposition pact is not registered and remains as three separate parties.

"At that time, if Tuanku had wanted to appoint Tan Sri Tajol Rosli Ghazali
(the former Menteri Besar), he would have had the right because the BN was the
only party that had the biggest majority. The Tuanku, in the spirit of democracy
based on the resolution made by the elected representatives from the three
opposition parties...(After) the Tuanku had received their written pledges, the
Tuanku then appointed Nizar as the Menteri Besar," Najib explained.

But now, the opposition had lost the majority in the State Assembly and
Sultan Azlan Shah had appointed Dr Zambry who was nominated by the BN using the
same approach and based on legitimate principles without breaching the
democratic system and constitution.

"This transpired according to procedures in line with the Perak State
Constitution and parliamentary democracy.

"This must be explained and that's why I say that the election is an option
and discretion...not a must. The problem is that they (the opposition) do not
accept this and hinder this (democratic) process as was done in the State
Assembly.

"Who asked for the suspension of the MB and BN Executive Councillors. This
is against the spirit of parliamentary democracy. If that's the case, we (BN)
have the majority in Parliament...we can suspend 20 Opposition Members of
parliament if we want to. Using the same principles (as in the Perak State
Assembly), we have the power...discretion, we can do what we like," said the
Prime Minister.

"(But) the Opposition disputed the appointment of Dr Zambry and challenged
it in court. We too challenged in court when they suspended the State
Assemblymen. Is it reasonable that in a democratic system, when there is a
majority, the Speaker suspends six Assemblymen? If that's the case, we too can
suspend six Assemblymen," he said.

Commenting on party-hopping, Najib said this was allowed by law and had
happened in other countries such as a former British prime minister Sir Winston
Churchill who had switched parties several times, and the latest was a Senator
in the United States who defected.

Najib pointed out that the BN did not seize power in Perak because the
change in government was made according to regulations and the law, which, if
accepted by everyone, would clearly show that the present BN government could
administer Perak as it had received a sufficient majority.

"Don't forget that on Sept 16 last year, who had wanted to steal 21 of our
Members of Parliament. But when he failed, and we succeeded in Perak, we were
then said to be undemocratic. We have been accused of seizing power.

"It was the opposition who first tried to seize power but without
success...we (the BN) did not start it," Najib stressed.
-- BERNAMA