By Deborah Loh
thenutgraph
Updated 7pm on 7 May 2009
Corrected at 4.05pm, 7 May 2009
Sivakumar being dragged out of the House (Pic courtesy of Sinar Harian)
IPOH, 7 May 2009: A historic state assembly sitting in Perak today fell into pandemonium in an ongoing tussle for power between the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and the Barisan Nasional (BN).
Security is tight around the state secretariat building where the state assembly is housed, and roads had been cordoned off since last night.
4.05pm The sitting was then "adjourned" sine dine (indefinitely).
4pm Once Raja Nazrin leaves the House after officiating the assembly, the heckling resumes. PR Aduns heckle Ganesan. Earlier, Raja Nazrin shook hands will all the elected reps after the House was adjourned for 15 minutes to allow him to leave.
3.20pm Raja Nazrin starts speaking. He talks about the economic crisis and the government's economic stimulus package and the mini budget and how these are meant to help the economy. He also talks about how swine flu presents new challenges. Raja Nazrin is talking about the projects that have been implemented in Perak that have benefited the people.
3.15pm Raja Nazrin whispers something to Ngeh Koo Ham and Nizar Jamaluddin after they kiss his hand to greet him. PR Aduns take their seats on the right side of the speaker's chair, while special branch officers leave the chamber.
3.12pm Raja Nazrin enters the House.
3.10pm While waiting for Raja Nazrin to enter, about 20 special branch officers have lined up at the front of the chamber to form a barrier between where Raja Nazrin will sit and the floor of the House.
3.05pm Another adjournment announced to wait for the entry of Raja Nazrin Shah.
3.03pm Ganesan orders Teja and SImpang Pulai Aduns out of the House. Requests the Bentara to remove them. The doa is recited.
3.00pm Zambry moves a motion that the next order of the House is to start with prayers and allow the Raja Muda of Perak Raja Nazrin to give his royal address. All the while PR Aduns are thumping their tables. The 28 BN Aduns and three independents vote to approve Zambry's motion while PR Aduns shout "Bubar, bubar!"
2.57pm Ganesan speaks from speaker's chair. He asks police to prevent the Hutan Melintang Adun to stop heckling Zambry.
2.52pm Ganesan takes place at the speaker's chair amidst shouting by PR Aduns. They are shouting that this is a police state.
2.43pm The shouting betwen BN and PR Aduns continues as reps face off with each other around Speaker Sivakumar's chair, now empty.
2.39pm Speaker Sivakumar has been physically removed by the police from his chair. He has been taken out the door.
Earlier, PR Aduns tried to block police from laying their hands on him. Ngeh Koo Ham shouted at the police to get out. The Simpang Pulai Adun has been ordered to leave the House.
2.35pm A PR Adun was pushed to the floor near the speaker's chair. Special Branch officers are also in the chamber. Everyone has crowded around Speaker Sivakumar's chair.
2.30pm PR Aduns line up in front of Speaker Sivakumar's chair, as if to block him from attempts to remove him physically.
Earlier, the Aulong Adun Yew Tian Hoe claimed that Deputy Speaker Hee Yit Foong pepper-sprayed him in one of the earlier shouting matching. Reporters were not able to get a clear view of it as the Aduns had all gathered together and were shouting at one another. Yew said he had to go wash his eyes out.
Hee Yit Foong (right) relaxing during an adjournment
1.15pm Gerakan deputy president Datuk Chang Ko Youn says outside the chambers that Sivakumar's contention that the sitting had not been properly convened is illogical because Sivakumar himself tried to eject Zambry, the six executive councillors and the three independents before convening the assembly.
12.56pm Ganesan announces that he "adjourns" the House for another hour even though the sitting was not opened and his appointment as the new speaker is questionable. An assembly officer says that Raja Nazrin is still in the building waiting to deliver his royal address.
12.49pm PR Aduns saying to Ganesan, "Let's go, let's go. Come on." The ruckus now is about getting Ganesan to leave the House.
12.35pm Some PR elected reps have crossed over to BN side (on the left of the speaker's chair) heckling Ganesan to get out of the House Sivakumar from the speaker's chair also asks Ganesan to leave. Among the things said by PR Aduns to Ganesan are, "Please lah, leave. Salvage MIC."
(Corrected) 12.25pm Five PR elected reps heckling Ganesan, making issue of the fact that he is wearing a tag which states "Pegawai". Shouts of "Out! Out!" There is pushing and shoving on the floor between the assemblypersons.
12.24pm Ganesan tries to take his "seat" as speaker at the state secretary's table in the middle of the floor. A few PR elected reps surround him and appear to be persuading him against doing so. Sivakumar is still in the speaker's chair.
12.20pm Sivakumar saying something, but his microphone is still off so he cannot be heard. The BN state assemblypersons are shouting "Out! Out!" Ten more minutes and House is supposed to reconvene.
Speaker Sivakumar while his mic is still switched on
12.15pm Umno lawyer Datuk Hafarizam Harun seen conferring with Zambry away from the floor of the chamber.
11.50am Zambry's lawyers in the ongoing MB vs MB court case arrive in the chamber. Among them are Datuk Shafee Abdullah.
11.25am The paper Sivakumar held up earlier was a letter by him dated yesterday, 6 May, stating his rejection of all the motions submitted to him, which are the motions to remove him, to elect a new speaker, and to change the membership of the three committees.
11.15am Sivakumar makes an announcement holding up a paper, but it is unclear what the document is. PR elected reps are re-energised. BN side proposes to adjourn the "sitting" for one hour. The House is "adjourned". BN reps go back to their seats and sit down. PR reps also take their seats and shout at BN to leave the House since they've adjourned it.
There is peace in the House finally, but both sides refuse to budge from their seats. Sivakumar still in speaker's chair.
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