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SLIM RIVER, May 26 - Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin has issued a challenge to his rival Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir to use his office to seek an electoral mandate for the Barisan Nasional (BN) government in Perak.

In an exclusive interview with The Malaysian Insider, he said that the only reason he had filed a suit in the High Court to declare that he was the legal mentri besar was because it was required to seek fresh polls.

“My challenge to Zambry and even to Najib,” he said, referring to BN chief Datuk Seri Najib Razak, “is that now that the court has decided that you are the rightful mentri besar, to show your sincerity to go back to the people by seeking an audience with the ruler and asking for a dissolution.”

“You should take the golden opportunity, so people will respect you. Why is there this cowardly impression where you want to cling on to power?” he added.

This comes after Zambry had refuted PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s claim that he was merely “a mentri besar of the court” and did not have the support of the people.

Zambry had pointed out that it was Nizar who had first sought a court ruling.

Pakatan Rakyat has also stated that the judiciary should not decide who is the government but the people.

But Nizar is planning to appeal to the Federal Court after the Court of Appeal had overturned the High Court’s ruling that he was the legitimate MB.

He clarified that the legal proceedings were consistent with PR’s stand as “only the mentri besar has the right to advice the Sultan to dissolve the assembly” and this was the purpose of seeking to be declared the MB.

He cited his request for an audience with the Sultan in the 20-odd hours that the May 11 High Court ruling in his favour was in effect as proof of this.

The request was however short-circuited when a stay of execution was granted by the Court of Appeal to Zambry.

The Bukit Gantang MP also promised that PR would go all the way, whether in the state assembly or other activities to “make sure people are aware of their rights” even if the Federal Court rules against him.