300,000 COPIES DAILY Member of Audit Bureau of Circulations (Malaysia)

30 SEN for delivery to your doorstep

Awardd winning newspaper

for public service reporting
and opinion writing.

No. 4703 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)

Tuesday
February 24, 2009
TELLING IT AS IT IS www.sun2surf.com

rip
Reds in the g 29 » Politics and public service pg13 » Aussies cut immigration intake pg12
of title failure pg

Perak speaker
in the hot seat
by Humayun Kabir
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir for 18 months
and his six executive council members for 12
months for contempt of the assembly– told a
opinion on whether Sivakumar
had the power to do what he did
and Zambry has set up a legal team

I
POH: Police questioned Perak Assembly
Speaker V. Sivakumar for two hours
yesterday relating to reports lodged against
him over recent political and constitutional
developments in the state.
Three officers from the State Commercial
Crimes Department interviewed him at the
office of Chan & Associates, at Jalan Tun
Sambanthan, from 3.20pm. However, it is
learnt Sivakumar’s lawyers, Chan Kok Keong
and Augustine Anthony, were not allowed to
accompany him.
According to Chan, the police initially
said they wanted to question Sivakumar over
a report lodged by Jelapang assemblywoman
Hee Yit Foong (who has since quit the DAP
to become a Barisan Nasional-friendly
independent) against Sivakumar.
However, when the lawyers asked to see
the report, the police declined to show it.
Chan said instead of investigating Hee’s
report, police started questioning Sivakumar
on other reports lodged against him.
At 5.20pm, the officers left,
carrying a printer which was used to
print Sivakumar’s statement.
A visibly-tired Sivakumar – who
had made headlines last week
when he suspended Mentri Besar
large group of reporters that any investiga-
tion by the police against any member of the
assembly in his capacity as legislator violated
existing laws.
“The Legislative Assembly (Privileges)
Enactment 1959 read together with Article
72 of the Federal Constitution makes it
clear that the conduct of any member of the
Legislative Assembly in his/her capacity as a
member and the validity of their proceedings
are absolutely protected by immunity from
civil or criminal proceedings for anything
said or done,” he said in a statement.
As such, he called on the police to cease
all investigations against him or any of the
assembly members.
However, he said in the meeting with the
police officers yesterday, he had given his
“fullest co-operation, to the extent that my
co-operation does not infringe or violate any
provision of the laws of this country”.
Neither the police nor Sivakumar would
reveal what exactly he was questioned on.
Last Wednesday, Perak state assembly’s
committee of rights and privileges chaired
by Sivakumar handed down the suspen-
sions, throwing the state deeper into a
constitutional and political crisis. Many
constitutional lawyers have given their
to advise him on his next course of
action.
The only thing clear is that Siva-
kumar has to convene the state as-
sembly to endorse the decision as the
assembly was not in session when the
committee met. He had written to the
Sultan of Perak last week for consent
to convene a special sitting.
Meanwhile, at Parliament lobby
yesterday, Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming,
who is a Perak assemblyman, urged
Zambry to call for the dissolution of
the assembly as this was the only way
to end the constitutional crisis.
Nga, who was an executive council-
lor of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government,
said if Zambry failed to do so, the PR will
move a motion to stop the BN government
from using state funds. He also criti-
cised a reported decision b y
Zambry’s team to seek
advice from a Queen’s
Counsel on the state
crisis. Zambry has said
he had no knowledge
of that and was leav-
ing it to his lawyers to
decide what’s best.

Howling success for Slumdog

EVERY award show’s favourite movie Slumdog
Millionaire won eight Oscars at the 81st Academy
Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, including for
best picture, best original song and best director
on a night of high-voltage Hollywood glamour.
The feel-good film about a Mumbai tea boy
who rises from poverty and enters a television
quiz show to win millions and find the love of his
life, won eight of the 10 categories in which it
was nominated.
Other winners were Kate Winslet (Best
Actress), Sean Penn (Best Actor), Heath Ledger
(Best Supporting Actor) and Penelope Cruz (Best
Supporting Actress). Hugh Jackman was host.
Full story and photos on Page 18