Deal stitched, all systems go for Perak
Malaysiakini.com
Mar 14, 2008
Soon Li Tsin

PKR, DAP an PAS have successfully averted an impasse after party leaders reached an amicable decision to reallocate the composition of the Perak state executive council posts last night. MCPX

bersih round table 100207 syed husin aliPKR deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali confirmed that the new composition will be six DAP, three PKR and one PAS to form the 10-person Perak state executive council.

Yesterday, PKR threatened to pull out from the Perak state administration upon hearing that eight posts would go to DAP.

But Syed Husin said today that a compromise had been reached after both Perak and central leaders concluded their discussions last night.

"(PKR de facto leader) Anwar Ibrahim, (DAP veteran) Lim Kit Siang and PAS secretary-general Kamaruddin Jaafar were in communication with each other to resolve the issue," he said.

Anwar in a statement today welcomed the deal.

"DAP, PAS and PKR have agreed on the composition of the new Perak state government in the spirit of unity," he said.

"Our immediate task will now be to look into the problems facing the people."

Two deputy MBs

Syed Husin also said that a second deputy MB post will be allocated to PKR. It is expected that Perak will follow Penang's example of naming two deputy MBs.

perak state seat breakdownEarlier, it was decided between the parties that DAP chairperson and Setiawan state assemblyperson Ngeh Khoo Ham would be made deputy menteri besar (1) while an Indian candidate would be made deputy menteri besar (2).

The only Indian candidate from PKR is S Kesavan, who won the Hutan Melintang state seat.

Kesavan - who is PKR youth deputy secretary - defeated MIC women’s deputy chief S Thangasvari by 1,721 votes.

Syed Husin also said the new state government will also appoint a PKR representative to be one of its two senators.

However, Syed Husin stressed the finalised names will be announced after PAS’ Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is sworn in as the new MB at the Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar.

It is not known when Nizar will now be sworn in after the ceremony was cancelled at the last minute yesterday due to political wrangling within the coalition.

Contentious issue

The forming of the Perak state government has been a contentious issue since the general election ended last weekend.

It began with the DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang saying that the party had only agreed for a DAP or PKR menteri besar and objected Nizar’s appointment.

lim kit siang 02Lim later retracted his objection after DAP was promised eight seats in the Perak 10-member state exco. However, PKR disagreed with the new arrangment and declined to be part of the exco.

It is believed that the new agreement differed from an earlier deal where DAP will be given six seats, PKR two and PAS two. With PAS taking the coveted MB post, the exco will now have a six-three-one formula. 

The drama continued when the swearing-in ceremony for Nizar was called off due to some uncertainties as to whether the three parties will be able to work together to form a coalition, and a stable government, according to the royal palace.

raja nazrinThe Regent of Perak Raja Nazrin Shah subsequently ordered all 31 state assemblypersons from the three parties to sign a letter in support of the regent's decision to appoint Nizar.

It is learnt that all the signatures were submitted 10pm yesterday to Perak Sultan Azlan Shah’s secretary.

Teething problems to be expected 

"All the three parties signed their allegiance to the decision. Everything is OK, there are no more problems," said PAS state commissioner Ahmad Awang told AFP.

mohammad nizar jamaluddin perak menteri besarPerak DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham said the chief minister's swearing-in ceremony, which had to be cancelled Thursday due to the wrangling, would likely be rescheduled for later today or Saturday.

"We can work together, we have resolved some minor differences," he said.

"I believe the public should not be too worried because we are very united and in principle we all agreed to form a government and we have agreed to a collective leadership."

Ahmad Awang also played down suggestions the public row had damaged confidence in the opposition, saying that teething problems were to be expected.

"The public knows that this is the first time in the history of Malaysian politics that these three parties are governing together," he said.

"We can show to them that we can cooperate with each other, even though we have differences in our political ideology."

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