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Thursday February 19, 2009

Perak MB and exco ‘suspended’


IPOH: Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and all six state executive council members have been suspended and barred from the state assembly for showing contempt for the House.

While Dr Zambry’s suspension is for 18 months, the others have been suspended for 12 months each.

Perak state speaker V.Sivakumar

State Legislative Assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar, who headed the Committee of Special Privileges which summoned the seven to answer to a complaint, made the order on grounds that they had failed to give any explanation yesterday.

The complaint of contempt for the House by the seven was made by Canning assemblyman Wong Kah Woh following which the notices to appear before the committee was made last Saturday.

“Dr Zambry and the six exco members have failed and did not give any explanation to the committee.

“They failed to offer any explanation on their actions of contempt for the House and hence have been found guilty as charged.

“I have decided that Dr Zambry is, with immediate effect, suspended and barred from attending State Assembly sessions for 18 months while the six exco members are barred for 12 months,” said Sivakumar in a statement here yesterday.

The sole Barisan Nasional representative in the seven-member committee, Datuk Hasbullah Osman, was absent from the inquiry that started at 2.55pm.

A cheerful Dr Zambry and the exco entered the meeting room for about 30 minutes and exited later without speaking to the press.

Meeting of the barred: Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir (right) chairing his first exco meeting at the Perak State Secretariat building in Ipoh Wednesday, hours before they were ‘suspended’. — SAIFUL BAHRI / The Star

Wong, who presented his case before the committee, said he stated that Dr Zambry and the six exco members had shown contempt for the House when they were sworn into the assembly through unconstitutional means.

The committee later convened its closed-door meeting until 5.05pm. At 6.20pm when Sivakumar was leaving, he was asked whether he had powers to bar assemblymen without bringing the matter to the House.

He said: “I will notify the House.”

Related stories:
Suspension a mockery of the system, say BN reps
Councils set up before exco suspension
Expert: Suspension of Perak MB, exco members questionable
Justice Mohamad may opt out of Nizar vs Zambry case

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