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Thursday 12 February 2009

Pakatan to sue later, lodges MACC report

IPOH, Feb 12 — The Pakatan Rakyat today postponed a suit challenging the legality of Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir’s administration but instead lodged a corruption report against the Barisan Nasional Perak Menteri Besar for illegally appointing advisers with executive councillor status.

Pakatan Rakyat lawyer Leong Cheok Keng said the suit, declaring the swearing in of Zambry last Friday as unconstitutional and illegal, could not be filed as the team of lawyers was rushing to complete legal documents.

He said it will be filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court later and not Ipoh "so as not to cause embarrassment to the judges" in Perak.

Leong added that Zambry would be named as the sole respondent by Pakatan Rakyat Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin.

Nizar has refused a royal command to resign from the post after three Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers turned independent and expressed support for Barisan Nasional last week, leaving both coalitions with 28 seats each in the 59-seat state assembly. Sultan Azlan Shah appointed Zambry based on the support of the three defectors.

Earlier today Perak DAP secretary Nga Kor Ming lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Authority against Zambry for appointing three advisers and a state information chief with executive councillor status.

Nga, who was a Pakatan Rakyat Perak state executive councillor, claimed the appointments were illegal under the Perak state constitution and would cost the state RM960,000 in emoluments a year.

The four appointmens are Datuk S. Veerasingam who will be adviser for Indian affairs while Datuk Chang Ko Youn will be Chinese adviser. Kapten Datuk Haji Mohd Najmuddin Elias Al-Hafiz is adviser on religious matters and Datuk Hamdi Abu Bakar as state information chief.

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