KEMELUT POLITIK PERAK TAK SEBURUK INI JIKA DUN DIBUBARKAN

Kemelut politik yang sedang berlaku di Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan sekarang sudah tentu tidak sebegini rupa andai kata Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) dibubarkan.

Apabila DUN tidak dibubarkan, kedudukan Speaker atau Yang diPertua Dewan Negeri, kekal disandang oleh penyandang sedia ada. Dalam hubungan DUN Perak, ia masih disandang oleh V Sivakumar dari DAP (Pakatan Rakyat). Begitu juga dengan keahlian Jawatankuasa Hak dan Kebebasan DUN Perak.

Apabila Speaker memanggil MB pentadbiran Barisan Nasional, Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir untuk menghadapi Jawatankuasa Hak dan Kebebasan DUN Perak, mahu tidak mahu Dr Zambry kena patuh.

Alasan yang diberi oleh Dr Zambry bahawa dia menghormati "institusi Speaker" hanyalah satu kenyataan politik kerana dia (Dr Zambry) sedar ataupun telah disedarkan bahawa kedudukan Speaker dan Jawatankuasa berkenaan adalah sah dari segi undang-undang mahupun Perlembagaan.

Walaupun pentadbiran kerajaan negeri telah berpindah tangan daripada Pakatan Rakyat kepada Barisan Nasional seperti yang berlaku, ia tidak bermakna kedudukan Speaker dan jawatankuasa-jawatankuasa yang dibentuk dan diluluskan oleh DUN juga gugur.

Kedudukan Speaker hanya boleh ditentukan oleh persidangan DUN itu sendiri atau atas beberapa sebab seperti yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan termasuk perletakan jawatan.

Speaker boleh pada bila-bila masa meletak jawatannya apabila Dewan Undangan Negeri bermesyuarat pertama kalinya selepas sesuatu pilihan raya umum (perkara ini sudah tiada kaitan dengan kedudukan Sivakumar), atau apabila Speaker terhenti menjadi Ahli Dewan melainkan oleh sebab pembubarannya atau, apabila dia terhenti berkelayakan menjadi ahli, atau apabila DUN membuat ketetapan tertentu termasuk usul undi tidak percaya.

Dalam kedudukan Sivakumar, DUN Perak belum bersidang selepas perpindahan pentadbiran kepada BN dan oleh itu kedudukannya sebagai Speaker tidak tercabar dan dia kekal sebagai Speaker. Mungkin perkara ini tidak terfikir oleh pihak BN atau mereka terlepas pandang.

Oleh itu, pada pendapat saya tindakan Speaker menggantung keahlian Dr Zambry selama 18 bulan dan ahli-ahli Exconya selama 12 bulan, adalah betul memandangkan kedudukan mereka selaku Speaker dan ahli-ahli Jawatankuasa Hak dan Kebebasan DUN Perak adalah sah. DUN Perak belum bersidang untuk memecat mereka dan melantik penyandang baru.

Kemelut politik Perak yang kini menjadi satu krisis Perlembagaan mungkin tidak berlaku andai kata Dewan Undangan Negeri dibubarkan dan rakyat, pihak yang benar-benar berhak menentukan pembentukan sesebuah kerajaan, diberi mandat untuk memilih sama ada Barisan Nasional atau Pakatan Rakyat.

Selaku manusia biasa, tidak kira kedudukan, pangkat dan darjat, kita tidak sempurna dan tidak terlepas daripada membuat kesilapan. Sepintar mana, sebijak mana atau sehebat mana sekalipun, kita adalah manusia biasa dan tidak semua perbuatan kita adalah betul.

Kuasa penentu masih di tangan Paduka Seri Sultan Perak seperti yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan iaitu - bubarkan Dewan Undangan Negeri untuk membolehkan satu pilihan raya baru diadakan. Serahkan hak pemilihan secara demokratik kepada rakyat. Itulah pilihan terbaik.

The return of Datuk Seri Ainum Mohamad Said

In November 2001, Malaysia's first woman Attorney-General, Datuk Seri Ainum Mohamad Said, then 55, resigned "for health reasons", barely a year on the job as the government's chief prosecutor and legal adviser.

During her short stay at the A-G Chambers, her tenure was questioned by certain quarters not happy with her appointment. She was rumoured to be under investigation by the Securities Commission (SC) over duties performed as the deputy chief executive of the Commission. The SC then issued a statement denying it was investigating her.

It was no secret that Ainum's appointment as A-G, succeeding the late Tan Sri Mohtar Abdullah, though welcomed by the legal fraternity, did not went well with certain quarters. In fact, Mohtar "groomed" a certain high-ranking officer from the Judicial and Legal Service to succeed him.

As the A-G, Ainum was seen as a person of integrity and she administered the Chambers with a firm hand. Ainum had previously served the A-G Chambers as head of prosecution (third highest-ranking post) and as parliamentary draftsman.

Ainum had served 26 years in the judicial and legal service, before leaving in 1996 to join the private sector and later, the Securities Commission.

During her tenure as A-G, one of the "cases" being investigated by the police then was the allegations by former Election Court Justice Datuk Muhammad Kamil Awang that he was asked to throw out a case. Muhammad Kamil, in his judgement on June 8, 2001 declaring the 1999 Likas by-election null and void, said that he had been directed by a superior to dismiss the case without going into its merits.

Former Chief Justice Tun Eusoff Chin admitted making the call but said Muhammad had misunderstood the conversation as he (Eusoff) had only instructed him to expedite hearing the petition. (May I add... correct, correct, correct!)

Ainum's appointment coming so closely after the appointment of Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah as the Chief Justice of the Federal Court "marks the beginning of a new era in the aministration of justice and the rule of law" in Malaysia.

Writing in his "Benchmark" column in the New Straits Times, the late Federal Court Justice Harun Hashim said the appointments were a welcome relief from a period of confrontation and adverse criticism of the two establishments.

"There is much for the A-G to do. Ainum's appointment augurs well for the future. The public awaits with great expectations," Justice Harun wrote.

But, unfortunately, it was not to be when Ainum had no choice but to resign for "health reasons".

In November 2001, Ainum submitted her resignation letter citing health reasons, now, nearly eight years down the road, Ainum is back as one of the eminent persons to serve in the newly-established Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC).

Was she pressured to resign as A-G citing health reasons? Ainum is certainly in good health.