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No. 4692 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)

Love
is in
Friday the air
February 6, 2009
TELLING IT AS IT IS www.sun2surf.com pg19
Thinking » There will be no publication on Monday in view of Thaipusam.
Pink pg26

9.50AM: Najib and Perak deputy Umno chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi 11.50AM: Najib tells a press conference at the Perak Umno HQ that the Sultan wants to
arrive at the Istana Kinta in Ipoh for an audience with Sultan Azlan meet all BN assemblymen and three independents before deciding whether to dissolve the
Shah, and left at 10.30am. State Assembly or call for Nizar’s resignation. Sultan Azlan individually interviews independents
who pledged to support BN in the assembly.

SACKED!
POH: Sultan Azlan Shah tion under Article XVIII

I decided yesterday not

to give his consent to
dissolve the Perak state
assembly and instead
ordered Mentri Besar Mo-
hammad Nizar Jamalud-
din and his state executive
councillors to step down with
immediate effect.
The office of the Sultan of PERAK SULTAN REJECTS REQUEST TO DISSOLVE ASSEMBLY,
Perak, in a statement, said that after
meeting all the 28 Barisan Nasional
(BN) assemblymen and the three independ-
ents, His Royal Highness was convinced that
Mohammad Nizar had ceased to command the
confidence of the majority of the state assembly
members.
“If Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamalud-
din does not resign his post as Perak mentri
besar together with the members of the state
executive council, the posts of mentri besar
and state executive councillors are considered
vacant,” the statement said.
The sultan later consented to the appoint-
ment of second-term Pangkor assemblyman
Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, 47, as the new
mentri besar.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi, who made the announcement in Peta-
ling Jaya after arriving from Ipoh last evening,
said the swearing-in ceremony would take
place at Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar
at 3.30pm today. The executive councillors will
be sworn in at the same palace on Tuesday.
The four-page statement, signed by the
sultan’s private secretary, Col Datuk Abdul
Rahim Mohamad Nor, was issued at 2.15pm.
It said Mohammad Nizar had an audi-
ence with the sultan on Wednesday to seek
the ruler’s consent to dissolve the Perak state
assembly after losing majority support.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib
Razak, as Perak BN chairman, also sought an
audience with the sultan and was granted one
yesterday morning.
ORDERS MENTRI BESAR AND STATE EXCO TO RESIGN
At the audience at Istana Kinta, he informed
the ruler that the BN and its supporters,
altogether numbering 31, now had the major-
ity in the 59-seat state assembly. The statement
said the sultan, to verify the information, sum-
moned all the 31 assemblymen before him.
“After meeting the 31 assemblymen, His
Royal Highness the Sultan of Perak was
convinced that Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar
Noon: Sultan Azlan interviews
Hee at Istana Kinta after meeting the
28 BN assemblymen. On the left is
Perak Regent Raja Nazrin Shah.
Jamaluddin
had ceased to
command the
confidence of the majority of the state assembly
members,” it said.
It also said the sultan had considered
thoroughly Mohammad Nizar’s application on
Wednesday for consent to dissolve the state
assembly. “His Royal Highness used his discre-
(2)(b) of the Perak Darul
Ridzuan state constitu-
tion and did not consent
to the dissolution of the
state assembly,” it added.
Mohammad Nizar was
summoned to an audience
and told of the sultan’s
decision not to dissolve
the state government and in
accordance with the provisions
of XVI (6) of the state constitution,
Sultan Azlan Shah ordered him to resign.
Earlier in the day, Humayun
Kabir reported that Umno deputy presi-
dent and Perak BN chief Najib had two
audiences with the sultan at Istana Kinta. In
the first, he informed the ruler that the BN en-
joyed the majority in the assembly and wanted
to form the state government. In the second
audience, he was accompanied by the 27 BN
assemblymen, a defector who was rejoining
Umno, and three BN-friendly independents,
following the sultan’s instruction.
The sultan shook hands with the 27 BN
assemblymen and questioned the four PR
defectors – Datuk Nasarudin Hashim (Bota),
Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (Behrang), Mohd
Osman Mohd Jaitu (Changkat Jering) and Hee
Yit Foong (Jelapang) – individually for five
minutes each.
The ruler con-
firmed with them
that they had signed
letters pledging sup-
port for the yet-to-
be-formed BN state
government. He
told Najib he would decide after
having an audience with Mohammad Nizar
who was at a function at Bagan Serai.
Najib returned to state Umno headquarters
for a 10-minute packed media conference.
» More reports on pages 2, 4 and 7

1.10PM: NEW MB
Nizar, who rushed
from Bagan Serai
for a 15-minute
audience with the
sultan, waves and 4.40PM:
smiles at reporters Nizar, flanked
as he leaves. by PR leaders
at his official
2.15PM:
Sultan’s office
issues statement,
Y ESTERDAY evening,
Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
residence,
tells a press
conference
saying Mohd Nizar announced that Pangkor as- that he will
had been told semblyman Datuk Dr Zambry not resign as
to resign with Abdul Kadir (pic) will be the mentri besar.
the entire state new mentri besar. He will be
executive council. sworn in at 3.30pm today.