Nothing legal about Perak putsch

You can’t fault Datuk Seri Najib Razak for trying.

The Umno president last week got his party to accept reforms for its internal elections, making himself a hero for almost returning democracy that it had before being deregistered in 1988.

Today, he widened his appeal by making Malaysia Day a public holiday in an effort to push his and Barisan Nasional's popularity in Sabah and Sarawak, which the ruling coalition regards as its vote bank and is defending it assiduously against the Pakatan Rakyat.

But it is trying for the prime minister to still defend the February Perak putsch and ask the people to accept the current Barisan Nasional administration as the legal government over that formed by Pakatan Rakyat.

"I hope the people will accept that the due process of law has taken place in Perak; from the formation of the government and then back to the process in court," Najib said yesterday.

“We will not do anything against the provisions of the law. We will follow the rules.

“We have a legal government in place so there is no reason why there should be any disturbances (in the assembly) that could create an inaccurate impression of the political situation in Perak,” he told a press conference after meeting Perak Umno leaders in Ipoh.

Perhaps he has convinced himself about the legality of the Zambry administration that he propped up in February but all right-minded people of Perak and Malaysians can never accept the current Barisan Nasional government in the Silver State.

We should never forget how the institutions of government were used for the power grab, from the civil service to the police and judiciary to legitimise what was illegal in the first place. Lawmakers can cross the political divide but wrong cannot be right just because someone says so.

We should never forget how Article 72 of the Perak Constitution was abused. The two clauses of the article read:

Clause 1: “The validity of any proceedings in the Legislative Assembly of any State shall not be questioned in any court.”

Clause 2: “No body shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or vote given by him when taking part in proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of any State or of any committee thereof.”

First, it was tossed aside when the Pakatan Rakyat government used it to justify their hold on power but when it suited the power-grab speaker, the courts proceeded to apply it. Double standards?

We should never forget that the Perak royal household handed power to Barisan Nasional instead of allowing the people of Perak to go to the ballot box and elect their own representatives to the 59-seat assembly.

We should never forget about the three Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers who jumped to the other side, just as we should not forget the Barisan Nasional lawmaker who jumped in and out like it was a normal political activity.

We should never forget the thuggish behaviour of the policemen inside the state assembly, who disregarded all decorum to drag away an elected assembly speaker and people's representative. Or the ones who nabbed those wearing black or being in the vicinity of the state assembly. And also the ones who arrested those for holding candles in the night.

It is a nice try, Mr Prime Minister. A power grab is a power grab, and time does not change that fact. The Barisan Nasional can bus people in and proclaim 1 Malaysia but there are events that cannot be erased by a speech or a get-together.

For the statute of limitations on this illegal act only expires at the next general election when the people of Perak can decide whether to accept Barisan Nasional as their legal government. It will be their voice that decides, not the prime minister's.

The Malaysian Insider