bobjots : redux

Most of you should know by now that the Barisan Nasional appointed Menteri Besar of Perak, Zambry Abd Kadir, was granted a stay of execution on the orders of the High Court today. So what exactly is a “stay of execution”?

In a nutshell:

“A stay of execution is a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgment or other court order.”

So these are the orders that have been temporarily suspended pending a decision by the Court of Appeals:

1. Perintah deklarasi bahawa pemohon adalah dan pada setiap masa material dan masih mentri besar Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan.
    
2. Perintah deklarasi berkenaan tafsiran Fasal XVI(6) Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Negeri Perak bahawa dalam keadaan di mana:
    
   1. Mentri besar Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan ingin, dan telah member nasihat, untuk pembubaran Dewan Perhimpunan Undangan Negeri Perak;
       
   2. tidak terdapat pembubaran Dewan Perhimpunan Undangan Negeri Perak;
       
   3. tidak terdapat usul tidak percaya yang diambil dan diterimapakai dalam dan oleh Dewan Perhimpunan Undangan Negeri Perak terhadap Mentri Besar Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan; dan
       
   4. tidak terdapat perletakan jawatan mentri besar Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan;

   jawatan Mentri Besar Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan tidak boleh dan/atau tidak dikosongkan.
    

3. Writ bersifat “quo warranto” dikeluarkan kepada Responden memerintahkan Responden untuk tunjuk sebab dan memberi maklumat bagaimana dan di bawah dasar atau kuasa atau authoriti mana Responden berhak kononnya memegang jawatan Mentri Besar Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan dan kononnya bertindak dan/atau menjalankan dan/atau melaksanakan tanggungjawab-tanggungjawab, fungsi-fungsi dan tugas-tugas Mentri Besar Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan.
    
4. Perintah deklarasi bahawa Responden tidak berhak untuk dan/atau tidak menjawat jawatan Mentri Besar Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan dan bukannya mentri besar Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan pada bila-bila masa yang material.
    
5. Perintah injunksi untuk menghalang Responden dan/atau agen-agen Responden dan/atau pengkhidmat-pengkhidmat Responden dari bertindak dan/atau menjalankan dan/atau melaksanakan tanggungjawab-tanggungjawab, fungsi-fungsi dan tugas-tugas Mentri Besar Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan.

There are multiple opinions; one which Zambry himself is partial to is that since there’s a stay of execution, he remains the legitimate Menteri Besar of Perak. The other opinion is that since the High Court actually ruled that Zambry’s appointment was invalid and he was never the legitimate Menteri Besar, only the orders of the High Court (ie. the immediate vacating of the offices) are affected by the stay of execution. And since the High Court has judged that Zambry was NEVER the legitimate Menteri Besar, he cannot resume an office that he NEVER held legally in the first place.

Which brings us to this interesting scenario .. one where we started with 2 competing claims for Menteri Besar, then reverting to 1, and within 24 hours changing again to none!

When I published this statement by the Council of Churches of Malaysia yesterday at The Micah Mandate, someone asked me if it was still relevant given the circumstances:

The Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) is deeply troubled and concerned at the events that unfolded at the Perak State Assembly sitting on the 7th May.

The unruly scenes, the scuffles and the removal of the Speaker of the House by force, have all violated the dignity of the State Assembly and made a mockery of basic democratic principles that citizens have come to expect from a nation that champions human rights.

The power and authority of the Speaker have been undermined.

The police had overstepped its authority by the harassment of duly elected representatives, and of peaceful protestors exercising their rights of free expression guaranteed under the constitution. The police must remain above politics to have integrity and the confidence of the people.

The CCM realizes that the political crisis in Perak is a great worry to all just and peace-loving citizens of our country.

The CCM feels that it is time for the government to uphold its commitment to building a democratic and peaceful Malaysia by returning power to the people to decide by whom and how they should be governed.

To this end, the CCM joins civil society in calling the Sultan to exercise his sovereign power by calling for fresh elections in the state.

This is the only way to resolve the current political impasse.

As Christians, we believe that justice will have its day, because God expects that the nation is governed by principles of righteousness and justice.

As churches pray for the speedy resolution of the political crisis in Perak, we remember the words of the Bible:

“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice….The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just” (Proverbs 21: 3, 7).

REV. DR. THOMAS PHILIPS
President

REV. DR. HERMEN SHASTRI
General Secretary

11th May 2009

I said yes as the legal avenues have yet to be exhausted and the decision could still go either way.

One thing does seem very certain .. legal recourse, while necessary to determine the correct interpretation of the Constitution and retain public confidence in the parliamentary democratic system, will not resolve this impasse. The best way to do so is for HRH the Sultan of Perak to dissolve the State Assembly and return the mandate to the people. Perak has had 100 days without a functioning government. Surely HRH, as the symbol of sovereignty for the state as well as the symbolic guardian of the people’s wellbeing, does not want this status quo to perpetuate.