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Sunday 8 February 2009
Perak sees double with 2 menteris besar at work
Ipoh - Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir yesterday attended his first function as the state’s new leader, even as his ousted predecessor Nizar Jamaluddin continued to cling on to the post.
Ipoh - Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir yesterday attended his first function as the state’s new leader, even as his ousted predecessor Nizar Jamaluddin continued to cling on to the post.
The farcical drama continued into the second day as Mr. Nizar, who helmed the state until his administration was toppled through defections in his ranks last Thursday, sat tight in the menteri besar’s official residence.
He held a special meeting with the former executive councillors at the residence, and made several administrative decisions including land leases and landing rights for the state’s airport.
Dr Zambry, who was sworn in by the Sultan of Perak yesterday, dismissed the meeting as ‘illegal’, using the Malay word ‘haram’ which means forbidden.
He, however, said he was in no rush to take over the official residence. ‘I can operate from my own house. The residence is not important,’ he told reporters after attending a Chinese New Year celebration in a Chinese village.
Dr Zambry, an assemblyman from Pangkor, was chosen by the Barisan Nasional (BN) to helm the state which it wrested from Pakatan Rakyat (PR). The opposition won it in the general election 11 months ago.
But four defectors from the PR left it as a minority government. The PR and BN each have 28 seats in the state assembly, with three independents supporting the BN.
The PR has refused to recognise the new government, and plans to mount a legal challenge this week.
In the meantime, the BN government is going ahead to set up a new administration. The new state exco members will be sworn in on Tuesday.
But Dr Zambry is already having difficulties with trying to set up a racially balanced administration as 27 of the BN’s 28 assemblymen are from Umno, with one from the Malaysian Chinese Association. The other non-Malay politicians in the BN lost in last March’s general election.
‘We will take into consideration all three races. There are ways to do that,’ Dr Zambry said.
This racial imbalance is among concerns raised by Perak residents who have become accustomed to PR’s multiracial set-up and policies. Besides its Malay menteri besar, it had seven non-Malay and three Malay exco members.
The former government had also won over non-Malay voters by promising permanent land leases for Chinese villages and schools.
Mr. Nizar yesterday ‘approved’ the extension of land leases for industrial plots from the current 30 or 60 years to 99 years. He insisted that the civil service will implement these decisions.
When asked about the land leases, Dr Zambry said it was too early to decide but he pledged to be fair to all races. ‘People say that this state has returned to one particular group. I must tell you that the answer is no, and no, and no,’ he said at the Chinese New Year gathering.
Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon, who was present, acknowledged that many people were unhappy about the takeover, and said the BN government must prove its sincerity. He urged the state to continue the PR’s policies over the land leases and assistance for vernacular schools.
The battle is likely to continue this week as Mr. Nizar said he will report for work at the menteri besar’s office on Tuesday. Tomorrow is a public holiday.
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Perak sees double with 2 menteris besar at work
By Carolyn Hong
8 February 2009
Ipoh - Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir yesterday attended his first function as the state’s new leader, even as his ousted predecessor Nizar Jamaluddin continued to cling on to the post.
The farcical drama continued into the second day as Mr. Nizar, who helmed the state until his administration was toppled through defections in his ranks last Thursday, sat tight in the menteri besar’s official residence.
He held a special meeting with the former executive councillors at the residence, and made several administrative decisions including land leases and landing rights for the state’s airport.
Dr Zambry, who was sworn in by the Sultan of Perak yesterday, dismissed the meeting as ‘illegal’, using the Malay word ‘haram’ which means forbidden.
He, however, said he was in no rush to take over the official residence. ‘I can operate from my own house. The residence is not important,’ he told reporters after attending a Chinese New Year celebration in a Chinese village.
Dr Zambry, an assemblyman from Pangkor, was chosen by the Barisan Nasional (BN) to helm the state which it wrested from Pakatan Rakyat (PR). The opposition won it in the general election 11 months ago.
But four defectors from the PR left it as a minority government. The PR and BN each have 28 seats in the state assembly, with three independents supporting the BN.
The PR has refused to recognise the new government, and plans to mount a legal challenge this week.
In the meantime, the BN government is going ahead to set up a new administration. The new state exco members will be sworn in on Tuesday.
But Dr Zambry is already having difficulties with trying to set up a racially balanced administration as 27 of the BN’s 28 assemblymen are from Umno, with one from the Malaysian Chinese Association. The other non-Malay politicians in the BN lost in last March’s general election.
‘We will take into consideration all three races. There are ways to do that,’ Dr Zambry said.
This racial imbalance is among concerns raised by Perak residents who have become accustomed to PR’s multiracial set-up and policies. Besides its Malay menteri besar, it had seven non-Malay and three Malay exco members.
The former government had also won over non-Malay voters by promising permanent land leases for Chinese villages and schools.
Mr. Nizar yesterday ‘approved’ the extension of land leases for industrial plots from the current 30 or 60 years to 99 years. He insisted that the civil service will implement these decisions.
When asked about the land leases, Dr Zambry said it was too early to decide but he pledged to be fair to all races. ‘People say that this state has returned to one particular group. I must tell you that the answer is no, and no, and no,’ he said at the Chinese New Year gathering.
Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon, who was present, acknowledged that many people were unhappy about the takeover, and said the BN government must prove its sincerity. He urged the state to continue the PR’s policies over the land leases and assistance for vernacular schools.
The battle is likely to continue this week as Mr. Nizar said he will report for work at the menteri besar’s office on Tuesday. Tomorrow is a public holiday.
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