Najib ready for talks with Pakatan
Rahmah Ghazali May 14, 09 11:52am
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today said he was willing to hold talks with Pakatan Rakyat to resolve the on-going Perak crisis but he had set a number of conditions.
"There should not be pre-conditions as it (the meeting) should be quite open in order (for us) to explore (all) possibilities," he told journalists in Putrajaya.
"I have said the number one principle must be the mutual respect for one another.
"Number two, we have to follow rules and regulations inside the Dewan and outside the Dewan," he added.
The prime minister also rejected claims that BN was "afraid" to fight a snap state polls as demanded by Pakatan.
"BN is not afraid. If we have to face the rakyat and we will face the rakyat. We have faced the rakyat many times," he said.
He was also asked to respond to calls made by BN leaders that the solution to the Perak political impasse was by holding a state election.
Dissolution is up to the sultan
Najib said it would be up to the Perak sultan to do so but did not say whether BN would advise him to dissolve the assembly.
"That is one of the options but under the constitution, it is something that does not have to happen. It depends on the sultan to consider," he said.
He also quelled fears that the Perak crisis will eventually lead to a political stand-off like the situation in neighbouring Thailand.
Perak has been in turmoil since February with both BN and Pakatan battling it out to rule the state.
The defections of three Pakatan elected representatives to become BN-friendly independents have resulted in the Perak sultan calling on Pakatan's Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin to step down as the menteri besar.
The sultan then appointed BN's Zambry Abd Kadir to the post.
However on Monday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court had ruled that Nizar was the legitimate MB.
Zambry had since obtained a stay order against the decision pending his appeal while Nizar had yesterday filed an application to set aside the court order.
Nizar's application will be heard next Monday.
Rahmah Ghazali May 14, 09 11:52am
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today said he was willing to hold talks with Pakatan Rakyat to resolve the on-going Perak crisis but he had set a number of conditions.
"There should not be pre-conditions as it (the meeting) should be quite open in order (for us) to explore (all) possibilities," he told journalists in Putrajaya.
"I have said the number one principle must be the mutual respect for one another.
"Number two, we have to follow rules and regulations inside the Dewan and outside the Dewan," he added.
The prime minister also rejected claims that BN was "afraid" to fight a snap state polls as demanded by Pakatan.
"BN is not afraid. If we have to face the rakyat and we will face the rakyat. We have faced the rakyat many times," he said.
He was also asked to respond to calls made by BN leaders that the solution to the Perak political impasse was by holding a state election.
Dissolution is up to the sultan
Najib said it would be up to the Perak sultan to do so but did not say whether BN would advise him to dissolve the assembly.
"That is one of the options but under the constitution, it is something that does not have to happen. It depends on the sultan to consider," he said.
He also quelled fears that the Perak crisis will eventually lead to a political stand-off like the situation in neighbouring Thailand.
Perak has been in turmoil since February with both BN and Pakatan battling it out to rule the state.
The defections of three Pakatan elected representatives to become BN-friendly independents have resulted in the Perak sultan calling on Pakatan's Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin to step down as the menteri besar.
The sultan then appointed BN's Zambry Abd Kadir to the post.
However on Monday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court had ruled that Nizar was the legitimate MB.
Zambry had since obtained a stay order against the decision pending his appeal while Nizar had yesterday filed an application to set aside the court order.
Nizar's application will be heard next Monday.