Sorry, Mr PM. At least you've tried.

Malaysia PM faces setback on Perak takeover
By John Burton in Singapore

Published: May 11 2009 22:16 Last updated: May 11 2009 22:16

Najib Razak, the Malaysian prime minister, on Monday suffered his biggest political setback since taking power last month as the country’s high court said his government’s takeover of Perak state, in which he played a key role, was illegal.

Perak, one of Malaysia’s largest states, has been at the centre of a constitutional crisis since February, when the opposition-held state government was brought down after three state assemblymen defected to support Mr Najib’s National Front alliance.

The opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance claimed that the move was unconstitutional. The high court agreed that normal parliamentary procedures had not been followed.

Perak could face fresh state elections, with most analysts believing that the opposition could gain a bigger majority in the state assembly because of a public backlash against Mr Najib’s political tactics.

The Pakatan Rakyat came to power in Perak in March 2008 when the opposition won control of five of Malaysia’s 13 state governments at the general elections. Nazir Jamaluddin, who became chief minister of Perak, won a state by-election last month in what was seen as a strong vote of public support for his stance against Mr Najib’s government.

Ipoh, the normally sleepy capital of Perak, was the scene of bitter clashes last week as the state assembly held its first session since the political crisis erupted. The opposition speaker of the house was expelled from the chamber and police arrested dozens of protesters outside the building.

The court’s ruling is embarrassing to Sultan Azlan Shah, Perak’s royal ruler, who decided to appoint a National Front member as chief minister, replacing Mr Nazir, after the defections. The high court said the sultan should not have made the appointment in the absence of a vote of no confidence by the state assembly against Mr Nazir.

The opposition has called for elections to resolve the issue and the newly reinstated Mr Nazir is expected to meet the sultan on Tuesday to ask him to dissolve the assembly.

The sultan, who trained as a lawyer, has come under public criticism for his role since he is regarded as a constitutional expert and was a former lord president of the federal court. He served as Malaysia’s monarch in the early 1990s under the country’s system of rotating kingship among nine state sultans.

Mr Najib met the sultan shortly before the appointment of the new Perak chief minister was made in February and he is also believed to have played a role in persuading the opposition assemblymen to defect.

Critics said Mr Najib’s involvement was a return to the hardline political tactics of Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime minister who was a mentor to Mr Najib.

The high court decision is seen as a sign of increased judicial independence.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

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Alright, 1 points for the Court, 0 Points for Barisan. Not to mention the Court actually overrule the Sultan's decision. So,first question. Who is playing the biggest role in the country? Monarch, or the High Court?

Second, According to what i learnt, No appeals for High Court. But, can they overrule the court's decision? You know how BN works right?

Third, A fresh state election, means we wont have to see Hee Yit Foong again? (I really confirm even IF BN throw money to the people, no one will vote for her for sure.)

Fourth, If the court says that Nizar is the chief minister, means that May 7 assembly is illegal? Then can the Pakatan be forgiving enough for what BN did to their speaker and the Reps?

Alright, should stop here for awhile.. Taxpayers money wasted anyway.

Joke of the Day

I'll Quote VK Lingam's famous phrase "Looks like me, Sound like me, but not me."
Hee Yit Foong "Looks like Pepper spray, Feels like Pepper spray, Shoot like Pepper spray, but it's not Pepper spray."