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©New Straits Times
(Used by permission)
by V. Vasudevan, B. Suresh Ram, Eileen Ng, R.S. Kamini, Ili Liyana Mokhtar
and Joseph Sipalan
THE Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club lodged a police report against DAP
chairman Karpal Singh yesterday for questioning the Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan
Shah's decision to reinstate Datuk Jamry Sury as head of the Perak Religious
Department.
Seven members led by its chairman and Bintulu MP, Datuk Seri
Tiong King Sing, did so at 4.15pm at the Brickfields police station.
Tiong, in the report, said he was acting to protect the rights and sovereignty
of the Malay Rulers under the Federal and state Constitutions.
A similar report was lodged almost simultaneously by Umno secretary-general and
Putrajaya MP Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor at the Sentul police station.
Karpal was reported to have disputed Sultan Azlan's decision to reinstate Jamry
to his former position after the latter had been asked to immediately vacate his
post by Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.
The Bukit Gelugor MP had said in Parliament on Monday that
state governments had the right to move civil servants without consulting heads
of state.
He had also said that state governments should not feel intimidated by the
rulers as they were not answerable in matters concerning civil administration.
The next day, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had said that Karpal
had "disputed" the provisions of the Constitution by questioning the sultan's
prerogatives as the Perak head of religion.
He had also said that it was up to Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail to
determine if Karpal could be charged under the Sedition Act.
In another development, a coalition of more than 300 Malay non-governmental
organisations lodged a police report against Karpal for "disrespecting the Malay
rulers".
Council of Malay Solidarity president Osman Abu Bakar, in his report, claimed
that Karpal had on separate occasions "insulted" the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the
Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan and Sultan Azlan Shah.
"Karpal Singh is biadap (rude)," Osman told reporters outside the
Brickfields police station where he had lodged the report five minutes before
Tiong.
Met at the Parliament lobby, Karpal asked why Tiong had lodged the report when a
similar one had been filed on the same matter.
"Are they very free? Have they got nothing better to do?" asked the opposition
strongman who added that he would stand by his statements.
Perak Umno youth had lodged a police report on Sunday (May 4) which claimed that
Karpal's statements were seditious in nature.
In Ipoh, the youth movement submitted a memorandum to Abdul Gani yesterday
urging legal action against the DAP and Karpal for questioning Sultan Azlan's
decision on the matter.
Its chief, Zainol Padzi Paharudin, said action should be taken to prevent the
situation from turning ugly.
"We hope to avoid any untoward incident which might place a black mark on state
history.
"The act of continuously challenging the Sultan of Perak's prerogatives can be
construed as an attempt to incite anger among the Malays," he said at the state
Umno headquarters.
Zainol said the movement would continue to defend and uphold the rights of the
monarchy, the Malays and Islam in Perak.
Earlier, Zainol, accompanied by three other representatives from the movement,
handed a statement to a palace aide at the Istana Kinta about 11.30am, pledging
their undivided loyalty to Sultan Azlan Shah.
'Many Malaysians upset with Karpal'
KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said yesterday that he had
instructed Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor to lodge
a police report against DAP chairman Karpal Singh for making allegedly seditious
remarks about the Sultan of Perak.
The prime minister and Umno president said Karpal's
questioning of Sultan Azlan Shah's prerogative as the state's head of religion
had angered many, including non-Malays.
"It was seditious and insulting to the Sultan, that is how it is seen in the
eyes of the rakyat," he said after opening the Fifth Malaysian International
Halal Showcase here.
Abdullah said it was as if the Bukit Gelugor MP was ignorant of the Sultan's
scope of duties.
"Many Malaysians, including those from Umno and also the non-Malays are upset
with his statement.
"I have been informed that many others will also be filing
complaints with the police."
Karpal's statement in Parliament on Monday concerned the reinstatement of Datuk
Jamry Sury as Perak Islamic Religious Department director by order of the palace
after he had been transferred by the menteri besar.
He said it was the right of the state governments to move any of their civil
servants without consulting the heads of state.
On the charging of blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin for sedition, Abdullah said
anyone who broke the law must face the consequences.
Raja Petra was charged with posting an allegedly seditious article on his
Malaysia Today website titled "Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell".
The murder case of the Mongolian woman is currently being heard in the High
Court.
Abdullah also said the government had not decided whether to review the highway
concessions, as stated by Works Minister Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed on Wednesday.
"That is only his suggestion."
He said such decisions must first be endorsed by the cabinet.
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