Assembly of shame

THE sight of state assemblymen in their ceremonial dress engaged in behaviour befitting ill-tempered and belligerent children was surreal. The shouting, pushing and shoving, and frayed tempers within the state assembly hall in Perak on Thursday may be acceptable behaviour in playgrounds and kindergartens, but not within a revered institution of state. While some confusion had been expected, the chaos and pandemonium that eventually ensued was not. That Perak Regent Raja Dr Nazrin Shah had to wait five hours to deliver his opening address as a result of the ruckus was objectionable, as was the fracas outside the state secretariat building. Indeed, what happened was farcical and pathetic, an embarrassing spectacle no one should have had to witness or go through.

What happened was a culmination of events that began when crossovers by three state assemblymen resulted in the collapse of the state government. From the outset, Pakatan Rakyat should not have had a problem with how it lost Perak. Until and unless anti-party-hopping laws are introduced, crossovers are allowed, as even Pakatan de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is very well aware. But this appears to be no longer the issue. Pakatan is spoiling for a fight and, as such, the political and constitutional impasse in the state will continue. Even though a new speaker has been appointed, it is doubtful that Pakatan would desist or stand down, not when there is so much at stake.

It has vowed to fight tooth and nail for control of the Silver State and will not go down with a whimper. It does not matter that the state is under the Barisan Nasional or that Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir is the chief executive. It also does not matter whether Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin will succeed in having the courts proclaim him as the rightful menteri besar. This grouping of three parties will continue in its confrontational stance until it gets what it wants. And what it wants, sadly, is not to uphold the institutions but to tear them down and leave a confused mess in its wake. The new political landscape is scarred with political parties and individuals with a taste for demonstrations. They hope to sway the people and impose their will on the government via hostile means. But the rule of law must prevail in Perak and elsewhere. It needs to be safeguarded and preserved, by whatever means possible. And those who continue to incite and instigate need to be always mindful of that. NST Editorial