[Shiok Guy comment and Opinion in red]
 

Gracious Conduct Needed In Resolving Perak Crisis

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 (Bernama) -- Come Tuesday, the protracted Perak political crisis will be four months.

The quandary has put the people off rhythm, at times it becomes the butt of jokes while also earning the wrath of others for disrespecting the royal institution and deriding court decisions.

Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin has filed an appeal to the Federal Court to overturn the Court of Appeal's decision in declaring Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir as the rightful menteri besar of the state.

While the decision is much awaited, Mohamad Nizar has vowed to make Zambry's tenure tumultuous if the latter continues to lead Perak.

In the last four months, besides challenging Zambry's appointment in court, the opposition has vented its anger on the streets, including holding a hunger strike without regard to public order, traffic congestion and business activities. 

[Since when a hunger strike will cause public disorder? How? Those who participate in the hunger strike will gone crazy and transform into zombie and start eating human fresh? How about traffic congestion? If the police and FRU leave them alone to hunger strike until fall sick and die, will it cause any traffic congestion? No! May be a few ambulance carrying the sick and death to the hospital. The last part, affective business activities? Yes, this I have to agree, when we are on hunger strike surely we will not order food from mamak right?]


If the opposition carries out its threat, the political crisis in Perak might last until the 13th general election.

"If they do that, they are not fit to be legislators as they are part of the promulgators of law. They would be regarded as people who have no respect for the law," said Prof Datuk Dr Zainal Kling, who holds the Tun Ghafar Baba Chair at Universiti Perguruan Sultan Idris (UPSI).

He said by continuing to destabilise the administration, the opposition had betrayed the trust of the people, who longed for peace and stability in enduring the current trying times.

[The opposition had betrayed the truth of the people? Really? How about asking the people of Jelapang whether they still want the Hee Frog?]

When the opposition held the reins with a three-seat majority for 11 months in Perak, there was no ruckus from Barisan Nasional (BN).

The BN had accepted the verdict of the people in the 12th general election when the opposition, comprising the DAP, PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) toppled the state government after garnering 31 seats.

In Kelantan, PAS clung on precariously to power with a one-seat majority after BN wrested the Permatang Pasir state seat in a by-election in December 2005. There was no attempt from BN to unseat the state government.

In Perak, when Bota assemblyman Datuk Nasaruddin Hashim quit Umno on Jan 25, he was welcomed with open arms by the opposition, much to BN's dismay.

To add insult to injury, the opposition then boasted that three more Umno assemblymen would cross over to the opposition.

However, the opposition cried foul when three of their assemblymen left them and declared themselves Independents - their seats were also declared vacant to force by-elections.

[Got By-election? Mana ada?]

The crisis began when Behrang assemblyman Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Changkat Jering assemblyman Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu quit PKR on Feb 3.

The next day, Jelapang assemblyman Hee Yit Foong, who is also the state assembly's deputy speaker, quit the DAP while Nasaruddin came back to the BN's fold.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak then announced the fall of the opposition state government with the BN having the majority in the house with 27 assemblymen and three Independents, who had pledged their support to it.

Citing the people as the victims in the crisis, Dr Zainal said the opposition should not play with the emotions of the people for their failure to hang on to power.

For questioning the Sultan of Perak's consent in allowing BN to form a new state government, the act by the opposition has been described by certain quarters as treason.

Looking from another perspective, Umno won the biggest number of seats in Perak in the last general election with 27 seats compared to DAP (18), PKR (seven) and PAS (six).

[27/59 > 50%? BN component parties do you get the message from UMNO?]

The opposition is actually a loose pact compared to BN which is a registered coalition of over 50 years.

The pact fizzled out in the 2004 general election with PKR almost being wiped out after it was reduced to just one parliamentary seat from five in the 1999 general election.

For Prof Datuk Dr Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid, political maturity is needed to diffuse the political quagmire in Perak.

"An ambiguity issue looms which calls for the warring parties to talk things over in the interest of the people.

Dr Ibrahim, who was former dean at Universiti Tun Abdul Razak's humanities and social science faculty, said what had happened in Perak was a question of political etiquette and principles.

The opposition had wanted a new election in Perak as it claimed that it had the mandate of the people, playing down that it had in fact wanted to topple the Federal government through the defection of 30 BN members of Parliament by Sept 16 last year.

The failed coup engineered by PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was tantamount to denying the verdict of the people in returning BN to power in the 2008 general election with 140 seats while the opposition obtained 82 seats.

The threats by the opposition to continue to destabilise the Perak state government speaks volume of its attitude as a sore loser.

Suffice to say, the opposition's conduct will have far-reaching implications in the next general election.

If BN under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak lives up to expectations, it spells trouble for the opposition.
[We can wait for next GE, dare to call for GE tomorrow to make sure he got the support of the people of Malaysia? Dare? No? Then stok talk C**K lah]
-- BERNAMA