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No. 4711 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)

Friday Suspicions
March 6, 2009 grow attack
TELLING IT AS IT IS www.sun2surf.com was ‘inside job’ pg8
Back to Witch » theSun takes a break for Prophet Muhammad’s birthday on Monday.
Mountain pg16

Dignity of
rulers must
be protected:
Raja of Perlis Speaker Sivakumar
fails again
KANGAR: The Raja of Perlis, Tuanku
Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail, said
yesterday the dignity of the Malay rulers ONLY STATE LEGAL ADVISER,
needed to be protected at a time when
issues that touched on the power of
the rulers and the social contract were NOT PRIVATE LAWYERS, CAN
being raised.
He said the rulers had a role of pro-
tecting all citizens regardless of race,
REPRESENT HIM, COURT RULES
religion and political affiliation, and this
noble role should be preserved.
Opening a special seminar on the by Humayun Kabir
REUTERSPIX

Federal Constitution organised by the newsdesk@thesundaily.com

state government here, Tuanku Syed

Sirajuddin said there had been groups
questioning the social contract, which
had actually contributed to the achieve-
ment of independence in 1957.
He said the social contract, which
aimed at ensuring racial harmony, was
not in the form of a document to show
as proof but it definitely existed.
“I believe that if we can appreciate
and understand it (social contract),
those with vested interest and their
narrow agenda, by playing up sensitive
issues, will fail to achieve their aim,” he
told about 500 senior state government
officials and heads of departments and
agencies.
Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin said Malay-
sia’s independence was the result of
prevailing racial harmony, with Islam as
the official religion and the Malay rul-
ers having the duty of preserving racial
understanding, which was referred to
as the social contract.
“The commitment to establishing
an independent nation came from the
close cooperation of the Malay rulers
and community and political leaders
who received the people’s mandate,”
he said.
However, of late, various quarters
with vested interest had given their own
interpretation of the social contract from
a narrow perspective to serve their own
agenda. Their action had caused uneasi-
ness among the public.
Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin also said
“all the races are the masters of this
country and they are free to practise
any religion without hurting the other
religions”. – Bernama
I
POH: The High Court here ruled
for the second time in three days
yesterday that Perak State As-
sembly Speaker V. Sivakumar is a
public servant of the Perak govern-
ment and must be represented by the
state legal adviser and not by private
lawyers of his choosing.
The ruling by Judicial Commis-
sioner Ridwan Ibrahim was on a
case filed by three Barisan Nasional-
friendly independent assemblymen
against Sivakumar for declaring their
seats vacant on the strength of their
pre-dated resignation letters.
After hearing submissions from
lawyers for both parties in his
chambers, Ridwan said Sivakumar
is a state government officer as stated
under Section 2 and 24(3) of the Gov-
ernment Proceedings Act 1956 and
ordered him to engage the state legal
adviser as his counsel.
Furthermore, he said, as Sivaku-
mar is drawing his salary from the
consolidated fund of the Perak state
government, it makes him a govern-
ment servant of the state.
Sivakumar had declared the seats
of the assemblymen for Changkat
Jering (Mohd Osman Mohd Jaitu),
Behrang (Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi)
and Jelapang (Hee Yit Foong) vacant
after receiving their resignation let-
ters and subsequently informed the
Election Commission (EC) to hold
by-elections for the vacant seats.
The EC decided against it as the
three assemblymen claimed they
had not resigned and were still as-
semblymen. The trio then applied
to the High Court to declare that
their state seats were not vacant.
Last Tuesday, in ruling that
Sivakumar’s private lawyers had
no locus standi to represent him
in an application filed by Mentri
Besar Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir,
Ridwan had also ruled that Sivaku-
mar is a state government officer
under Section 24 of the Government
Proceedings Act, that states that in
Eye spy…
Canadian filmmaker Rob
Spence, who lost his right
eye when he was a child,
shows a prototype of a
prosthetic eye which will
be transformed into a
video camera at a press
conference in Brussels
yesterday. Spence, a
director and producer in
Toronto, said he would
use the eye-cam the
same way he uses a
video camera to carry out
the so-called “EyeBorg
Project”. In using the
eye as a wireless video
camera, he wants to
make a documentary
about how video and
humanity intersect,
especially with regards to
surveillance.
civil proceedings by or against the Abu Bakar As-Sidek, M. Reza Has-
government, the state legal adviser san, Badrul Hishah Abdul Wahab
shall act on their behalf. and Faizul Hilmy Ahmad Zamri
Sivakumar’s legal team yesterday – are also the same lawyers who
comprised Chan Kok Keong, Nga represent Zambry.
Hock Cheh, Augustine Anthoney Earlier, Chan said in his sub-
and Mohd Asri Othman. mission that Sivakumar should
State legal adviser Ahmad Kamal not be considered a public servant
Shahid was also present. as Article 132(3) (b) of the Federal
The lawyers for the three as- Constitution states that “the public
semblymen – Datuk Hafarizam
Haron, Syed Faisal Syed Abdullah, » Turn to Page 2