Thursday March 13, 2008

Questions over MB post as state leaders defy Kit Siang

KUALA LUMPUR: The saga of who will head the coalition government in Perak has taken a dramatic turn, with DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang ordering his party assemblyman to stay away from the swearing-in of the Mentri Besar – and they have chosen to defy him.

Faltering talks: Perak’s Mentri Besar-in-waiting Nizar (right) talking with Perak DAP chief Ngeh after their audience with the Raja Muda of Perak. However, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang is against Nizar’s appointment and has ordered his assemblymen to stay away from the swearing-in. The assemblyman are set to defy him.

State DAP secretary Nga Kor Ming said the party’s elected representatives would be at Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar for the ceremony to swear in PAS’ Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, scheduled at 4pm today.

Lim, in a statement yesterday, said the party did not agree to Nizar’s appointment and had decided on Sunday night that the post should either be held by its state chief Ngeh Koo Ham or state PKR treasurer Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi.

The palace also issued a statement last night stating that the DAP had signed a document agreeing to accept any one of the three names proposed.

Party secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and other party leaders could not be reached for comments.

Kit Siang issued the statement at 7.15pm, ordering the party's 18 assemblymen to stay away but barely two-and-a-half hours earlier Ngeh publicly expressed support for Nizar after an audience with the Raja Muda of Perak Raja Nazrin Shah at Istana Kinta in Ipoh.

After the audience, Nizar, the state PAS secretary, Ngeh and Jamaluddin held a joint press conference to announce the appointments.

While Nizar was to be the Mentri Besar, Ngeh would be appointed Deputy Mentri Besar. An Indian assemblyman is to be appointed second deputy MB at a later date.

All’s well: (From right) Perak PKR chief Zulkifly Ibrahim, Nga, Nizar and Ngeh chatting after seeking an audience with the Raja Muda of Perak at Istana Kinta in Ipoh yesterday.

Nga said that “things were going as usual” and the DAP assemblymen would be attending the swearing-in.

Asked about the statement from the headquarters, Nga, who is also the national DAP Socialist Youth chief, said: “I don’t know. You go and ask Kit Siang.”

Kit Siang, in his statement, said the decision to appoint Nizar had “caused shock and consternation” to DAP leaders, members and supporters.

Lim, who is Ipoh Timur MP, said the party’s central executive committee (CEC) had only given the approval for the formation of a Perak coalition government comprising the 18 DAP assemblymen, seven PKR assemblymen and six PAS assemblymen.

Lim said PAS was the third and the smallest political party in the proposed coalition and, as such, the CEC had not given its mandate for the appointment of Nizar as Mentri Besar.

On Saturday, the Opposition won 31 state seats in Perak, wresting control of the state from Barisan Nasional which won 28 seats.

But the loose Opposition coalition is held together by only a three-seat majority, and two of the Opposition coalition partners – DAP and PAS – do not see eye-to-eye on a number of issues, especially in relation to forming an Islamic state.

Lim did not make it clear whether DAP was leaving the coalition.

PKR information chief Tian Chua said they were also shocked that Nizar had been selected as Mentri Besar.

“We were caught by surprise. We expected either PKR or DAP,” he said.

He added that the coalition would hold an emergency meeting today to decide its next course of action.

PAS secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar said he was quite disappointed that things were not going as smoothly as they should have.

“We are trying to sort this out again to save the Opposition government,” he said.

He said the irony was that PAS, DAP and PKR had made a joint announcement that they would agree to any of the three names submitted to Raja Nazrin.

“But obviously the state DAP had not checked with the national DAP,” he added.

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