Dr Wan Azizah won and earned the respect and admiration of her humility by her sincere show of magnanimity, a true true measure of the best of the best quality of a leader.
As if the last few weeks never not horrific enough in terms of the number of barbaric atrocities committed against women In the latest instance, as in some others, there is little moral about the people involved; it seems like a clear cut case of opportunistic hooliganism enabled by political muscle. In the wake of such incidents, a familiar pattern has emerged- outrage erupts, some important people blame the victims, action is reluctantly initiated How can we possibly tolerate such degenerate and degrading evil carried over from the Dark Ages when human beings were no more than cannon fodder and slave labour to tyrannical monarchs descended from demented demiurges and demonic entities? Wake up, people! This is the 21st century lah!
Has anyone ever thought that the sultan could have directly requested Hadi to form Govt in Salangor You think PAS is out to disrespect the sultan by not bowing to Tuanku's request?Openly defying the sultan is the stupidest thing anyone can do. Constitutional monarchy we are, but the sultan's power at state level is there in the constitution and they need to be respected and followed.
PAS and Hadi appears close to returning to power in Selangor after a hiatus of over with indication emerging that the party was ready to form government if invited to take the reins notwithstanding opposition from some senior leaders., the Sultan Selangor who is known to be favouring formation of government byPAS, indicated a decision on the issue in a day or two. sources said the party was ready to form government though a section of leaders was against reviewing an earlier decision of not exploring the option due to lack of majority.Any democracy is hobbled without an Opposition. Are we condemned to replicate Kelantan at the national level — where a government wheezes, gasps and limps triumphantly to the finish line because there is no other horse in the race?
(Malaysiakini) – Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has to consent to the appointment of Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the menteri besar because he is bound by a document signed in 1992 by his father, the then Selangor sultan.
Constitutional expert Abdul Aziz Bari said today the Declaration of Constitutional Principles, signed by six sultans, agrees that rulers will follow government advice, among other things.
This means, Aziz said, the current sultan “may not” be able to insist on more names to be submitted as candidates for Selangor menteri besar.
“The content binds the rulers until today. It has no legal effect by the document itself but morally, it would be embarrassing for the rulers to ignore it,” he said.
“So, in Selangor, the sultan has to appoint (Wan Azizah). Asking for more names, let alone refusing to appoint her, will go against the 1992 declaration and more importantly, the constitution itself.”
Aziz said the document was formulated during Umno’s tussle with the royalty in the early 1990s.
He said Umno at that time had friction with the Kelantan royal household as it blamed the royalty for having a hand in its defeat in Kelantan in 1990.
An undertaking to abide by constitution
“The declaration was the result of negotiations between the rulers – led by the late Sultan Azlah Shah and Umno, led by Anwar Ibrahim, who was then an Umno vice-president.
“It was an undertaking, an affirmation by those six rulers to abide by the constitutional provisions pertaining to appointing the government, interference in state administration and business involvement, among others,” he said.
Aziz said only the rulers of Kelantan, Kedah and Johor refused to sign the document but the other six rulers signed it.
He described the 1992 document as an attempt by Umno at that time to subdue the palace, which the party saw as a threat to its dominance.
However, Aziz said, the late Perak Sultan did not entirely abide by the 1992 declaration during the state’s constitutional crisis in 2009.
“Indeed, the late ruler went against what he himself wrote years before that; namely that dissolution was a matter of course that the sultan never refused,” he said.
Sultan Azlan Shah had refused then Perak menteri besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin’s request to dissolve the state assembly after three Pakatan representatives sided with BN to give it the majority.
As a result of this, the BN came to power without going through the state assembly.
In electoral science, statistics are illustrative, interpretation is critical and everything is fluid. Politics is evolutionary, and evolution - even Darwin’s - is a theory, not a fact. No election is an echo of the past, let alone a mirror of the future. With the Left neutered, and the Middle chasing its tail around a cemetery, what options does a voter have in the meantime?
The Left, which could have been taken seriously had it taken itself seriously, reminds one of an anecdote which should be better-known. The ever-punctual Comrade Gorbachev, who huffed and puffed so hard that he brought the whole Soviet house down, was once late for a meeting with a French delegation. He explained to his guests that he had been delayed by a problem in agriculture. When did the problem begin, asked the solicitous French. ‘‘In 1917,’’ replied Gorbachev.
PAS and Hadi are playing the fool with the constitution and disrespecting the sultan by offering names that do not enjoy any support of the state assembly at all except his sole personal support.the crack is only in PAS.’Kick out PAS unceremoniously now. With their intransigent stance on hudud, the coalition at best is a coalition of convenience and certainly not a foundation for future governance.
‘Bungkus’ (wrap) them with a pretty yellow ribbon and deliver them to Umno as soon as possible. Show some guts - you still have the majority to govern. And show that you will only compromise on issues but never on principles, and never with a backstabbing partner.
PAS Temerloh MP Nasrudin Hassan has defended party president Abdul Hadi Awang, saying members of an Islamic movement should toe their leader's line. party president Abdul Hadi Awang has just made a mockery of not only himself but also of his own party.the president overruling the party's central committee on the candidate list for Selangor menteri besar.
"It is true that Islam teaches us to make decisions based on discussions but as an elected leader who has been given the mandate, he has the executive power that allows him to make his own decision,"
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PAS' indecision over their dilemma of whether to abide by their pledges with Pakatan Rakyat parties or to appease to the sultan's wishes stood up like a sore thumb and has left the party in total disarray.
PAS' sincerity and commitment towards its other component parties is now seriously in doubt and this latest faux pas will no doubt make both PKR and DAP become more wary of PAS' next moves.
Whatever reason PAS may have for presenting the two lists, it amounts to a bad move.
If we got to vote for an Opposition, would we choose the one we have? It is admittedly, not the happiest time for PAS Having got thrashed in "Hadi Move" by a leader who shows every sign of consolidating his position for more than a single term, the party has more than enough time to lick its wounds. And there is much to rue- the PAS set new standards on ineptness on so many fronts simultaneously that in comparison,PAS Temerloh MP Nasrudin Hassan looks like a colossus even if he does very little. In this case, it is clear that he wants the job, looks the part, and has conducted himself with sufficient maturity and gravitas so far. His words and actions are rooted in a new calculus of PAS, and he is discarding the traditional vocabularies used by those in power. Ominously, for PAS Temerloh MP Nasrudin Hassan is not someone whose inaction will throw up any opportunities.
There is a sense of horror that pervades the news in recent months. It seems as is a basic form of humanity has been lost as one horrific instance of barbarism follows responsible for such actions, it cannot change the mindsets that breed these. More needs to be done to understand what lies behind such repeated acts of barbarity, given that things are getting worse and that there is clearly a deeper problem that exists.
Sometimes, a purer, deeper, more truthful script emerges from the one that has been carefully written and blows us away. party’s ulama syura council’s declaraltion that Hadi has final say in party matters. Islam does not support dictatorships How does Hadi know that Wan Azizah is not a capable leader? She must be given a chanc eto prove one way or other. If I am not mistaken, Hadi was MB of Trengganu for only one etrm . Why? Did it show that he was not a capable MB? Note also that as Pas President, he could not solve teh MB's problems with some Pas members. Then what happened? Kedah went back to BN! What does this tell you about his leadership qualities? Note also that Pas meetings were postponed from 10th August to 13th August to 17th August. Why undecided ? Why flip-flop? Note also that the PR Council decided on two PKR candidates---Wan Azizah and Azmin Ali. Since the latter signed the SD, he could not , at the same time, accept his name being forwarded. That leaves only Wan Azizah, right? How can Hadi break his word? A man must be consistent.Being an ally, the agreement by PR must stick.
The interesting press conference after yesterday's marathon PAS Central Committee meeting has thrown up a crucial constitutional issue that has dominated the current Selangor menteri besar imbroglio.Could this delay and procrastination be just a prelude to what happened in Perak in 2008 happening in Selangor?The sultan only has powers and authority granted to him by the Constitution. The sultan has no choice but to follow the Constitution to the letter otherwise he would be seen as betraying the Constitution. My concern is that if Selangorians feel their sultan's actions is 'ultra vires' that granted to him by the Constitution then the Rakyat might rebel in support of the State and Federal Constitution. In such a situation Republican sentiments may gain momentum as the Rakyat may see their democratic rights being usurped by an unelected institution which is challenging the very foundations of our democracy and the role of a constitutional monarchy. The constitution states that the sultan will appoint someone who in his opinion commands the majority support in the State assembly. If the sultan appoints someone who does not have the support of the majority, then he will be challenging democratic norms which will have dangerous repercussions for the institution of the monarchy itself. Until and unless the Malays, who form the majority in Malaysia decide to get out of their feudal mindset, there is no room for true democracy to flourish in Malaysia. It is in their (Malays) hands.
There are so many scenarios. 1) Sultan choose someone from either PKR or PAS but the candidate rejected it. This is because he or she knew he or she cannot command majority support. 2) Sultan choose some from either PKR and PAS but he or she unable to get majority support so during the first assembly. This means by the first assembly they will be above. 3) Sultan choose someone whom he thing is suitable for the MB job. Assuming neither PKR nor DAP objected. If this MB do a lousy job, does the Sultan willing to take responsibility of choosing the wrong candidate? On the other hand, if we follow our constitution. Wan Azizah command majority support. So what is the palace waiting for? In this particular case, due to what PAS has done publicly, it implied they do not support PKR and Pakatan. What is the point of having a democratic election where government is voted by the people when the very people protected by the constitution choose to ignore it.
PAS deputy president Mat Sabu and secretary general Mustafa Ali gave conflicting answers to the question of what PAS would do if the Sultan of Selangor decides to appoint a PAS assemblyperson (instead of a PKR representative as agreed by Pakatan Rakyat) as the next menteri besar of Selangor.
Mat Sabu said the party would reject the appointment, while Mustafa said it would leave the decision to the sultan, implying that the party would accept the ruler's choice.
This has brought up the key constitutional question of who should decide the next leader of the Selangor state government: the sultan or the ruling coalition Pakatan Rakyat?
Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat must be seen to be spending time in acts of governance, and not be seen shouting slogans and confronting unIslamic to do so.issue Now while this is conventional wisdom, there is no intrinsic reason why this must be the case. Why is it all right for political leaders to spend time includes giving meaningless speeches, cutting ribbons and laying foundation stones and generally be so involved in the ceremony surrounding the act of administration and not acceptable if they agitate for what they believe in? A new political culture means that some old customs must give way to the new. Using the power of public opinion to agitate for a cause is an option available to everyone, the CM included. If anything, a protest like this, if held peacefully and for the right reason reinforces the idea that democratic persuasion is an on-going process and not a once-in-five-years phenomenon.
PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat yesterday likened PKR to a spoiled brat.
In a further sign that the ties between the Pakatan allies were strained, he said there was no need for Pas to follow PKR’s every whim and fancy.
Nik Aziz, who had, in the past, defended the actions of PKR and its adviser, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, said Pas would face problems in the future if it continued to agree to the demands of its ally.
He also agreed with the statement by Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang on his decision to reject PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as Selangor menteri besar, saying the decision was spot on.
“The matter has been informed to us in the Syura Ulama Council.
“However, we did not disclose this to others as it would be unIslamic to do so.
The interesting press conference after a marathon PAS central committee meeting on Sept 7 has thrown up a crucial constitutional issue that has dominated the current Selangor MB imbroglio.
PAS deputy president Mat Sabu and secretary general Mustapha Ali gave conflicting answers to the question of what PAS will do if the Sultan decides to appoint a PAS assemblyman (instead of a PKR assemblyman as agreed by Pakatan Rakyat), as the next menteri besar of Selangor.
Mat Sabu said the party would reject the appointment, while Mustapha said it would leave the decision to the Sultan, implying that it would accept.
This has brought up the key constitutional question of who should decide the next leader of the Selangor state government: the Sultan or the ruling coalition Pakatan Rakyat?
For the sake of clarity of thinking, before we answer the above question, perhaps we should ask ourselves: who should rule the country – the monarch or the people?
I think the answer should be pretty obvious. Ever since independence, we have been running elections one after another, during which we elect a ruling coalition to rule the country. Since it is the people who have decided who they want to rule the country, so the people are actually the real boss, and the ruling party is only an agent selected by the people to fulfil their aspirations. And the monarch’s role is largely ceremonial with certain privileges and discretions as prescribed in the constitution, as peculiar to Malaysia, under the ambit of Westminister style of constitutional monarchy.
Among such discretions is the Monarch’s power to appoint the prime minister. Our federal constitution (to which the state constitutions have mirrored) stipulate that the Agong has the discretion to appoint the prime minister from “a member of the House of Representatives who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House.” [Article 43(2)(a) read in conjunction with Article 40@)(a)]
It is in the interpretation of the word “discretion” that controversies have arisen.
The Selangor Sultan’s press secretary Muhammad Munir Bani claimed that the Sultan has “absolute discretion” in appointing the new menteri besar that he feels enjoys majority support in the state assembly, when he said that the Sultan had ordered each of the component parties of Pakatan Rakyat to submit more than 2 nominees for the MB post. This implies that the Sultan can appoint whom he likes as long as he feels that the candidate has majority support in the assembly.
However, most constitutional legal minds hold that the Sultan’s discretion is limited to its exercise within the context of ascertaining whether the candidate can command majority support in the assembly. In other words, when the ruling coalition has nominated a candidate clearly supported by the majority, the Sultan has no more discretion to appoint someone else.
The latter view must be correct, as we must appreciate that the quality and suitability of the leader to head the government is of utmost importance to not only the ruling party but also to the nation, particularly to the electorate who have elected the ruling party. For that reason, it is always the prerogative of the ruling party to decide who it wants to head the government. In fact, the right of the ruling party to choose its head of government, just as its right to rule, is part and parcel of the democratic system that we have adopted. It has been the practice in Malaysia since independence, and it is also the practice among parliamentary democracies all over the world, whether they are headed by constitutional monarchs or presidents.
Imagine the havoc that will ensue, if the Sultan’s decree is carried out to the letter, resulting in a potential 9 or more nominees, and the Sultan has chosen a low quality candidate in preference to Pakatan’s top choice.
In addition to the ill-qualified MB possibly running the government to the ground, such an appointment may create serious intra-party and inter-party frictions in Pakatan Rakyat, thus ruining the latter as well bringing disaster to the people of Selangor.
Wouldn’t that be a gross injustice to the ruling coalition, and a betrayal of the electorate of Selangor?
Not by the wildest of imagination, could it have been the intention of the founders of this nation and the framers of the constitution to create a constitution with such huge loop hole to plunge the country into chaos.
Above all, the Sultan’s decree, as conveyed by his press secretary Munir Bani, could not pass the test of rudimentary logic.
Surely there must be one candidate that enjoys the highest support in Pakatan and others ranking relative low in its esteem. So, what is the logic of asking for relatively low ranking candidates, knowing full well that if any of these are appointed, he will likely be rejected by the state assembly, in which event, the MB appointment process will have to be re-run? Wouldn’t it be simple common sense for the Sultan to appoint someone nominated by the ruling coalition?
In other words, is there an ulterior motive to reject Wan Azizah’s nomination, since she has already secured the support of the majority of the assemblymen?readmore PAS stage-managing politics of Selangor has unexpectedly opened up a Pandora's Box
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