Chaos in state assembly
May 7, 09 8:24am
LIVE REPORTS [Please click Refresh/Reload on your browser for the latest updates.]
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10.20am: The impasse between speaker V Sivakumar and BN state reps continues. The speaker refuses to begin proceedings unless the seven suspended reps and three BN-friendly independents leave the hall.
Assembly secretary Abdullah Antung tries to take his seat in front of the speaker. But about 10 Pakatan reps walk up to him and physically stop him from doing so. They instruct Antung not to interfere with assembly business as he is a civil servant.
Both sides then engage in a free-for-all shouting match. Pakatan reps are also seen trying to prevent BN MB Zambry from speaking.
Zambry moves motion to sack the speaker. Sivakumar rejects the motion. The assembly plunges into chaos.
Raja Nazrin, who is to officially open the assembly, is waiting in a VIP room.
10.19am: Two more politicians have been arrested by the police for breaching the injunction against gathering at the state secretariat - Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar (PSM) and Parit Buntar Mujahid Yusof Rawa (PAS).
Also arrested was Malaysiakini columnist and activist Helen Ang.
10.05am: The speaker said his suspension of Zambry and his six exco members was made in his capacity as the chairperson of the privileges and the special rights committee and not as the speaker.
He said the Federal Court decision was based on his standing as a speaker and as such the matter was inapplicable.
He also asked the three BN-friendly independents to leave the assembly as his legal suit against the three was still pending in court.
His order for the 10 to leave the assembly was greeted by cheers and table-clapping by the Pakatan representatives. They shouted ‘keluar' (out) repeatedly.
However the 10 elected representatives are still in the house. A shouting match between the two sides is presently underway.
Nizar is seated in the right side of the speaker - the place allocated for the ruling party while Zambry is on the left.
9.55am: The action has now moved inside the state assembly. House speaker V Sivakumar, after immediately taking his seat, asks the seven suspended BN state reps including BN appointed MB Zambry to leave the hall.
He says he won’t begin the assembly sitting until they are out of the hall. According to Sivakumar, he has the power to do so. Pakatan state reps thump their table in support.
9.45am: PAS Youth chief and MP for Kubang Kerian Salahuddin Ayub is arrested near the 'democracy tree' behind the state secretariat building.
9.40am: Pakatan supporters, estimated at around 200, are scattered in various places near the state assembly building. There is no crowd at the gate of the building. The compound is barricaded by about 200 police.
9.30am: Perak crown prince Raja Nazrin Shah arrives. He inspects the guards of honour. Unlike the cold reception given to BN MB Zambry, all Pakatan state reps raise to their feet to welcome Raja Nazrin.
He was greeted by Zambry, assembly speaker Sivakumar and deputy speaker Hee Yit Foong (who defected from DAP to become a BN-friendly Independent rep).
9.25am: BN Menteri Besar Zambry Abd Kadir arrives to inspect the guards of honour. He shakes hand with assembly speaker V Sivakumar. Only BN state reps stand up to welcome Zambry. Pakatan state reps however snub him by remaining seated.
9.23am: All 59 state reps seated outside the state secretariat building where the opening ceremony will be held. They are waiting for the arrival of Perak crown prince Raja Nazrin Shah.
BN appointed state cabinet members could be seen wearing ‘exco’ (executive councillor) tags while Pakatan reps, including ousted MB Nizar, were wearing ‘Adun’ (state representative) tags.
9.15am: The police have moved in to arrest people gathered at the restaurant, including people having their breakfast. Many people have been arrested. Exact number of those arrested is uncertain.
The police first allowed those having their breakfast to do so but then soon changed their mind and started arresting them as well.
One man who was having tea lashed out at the police for their actions. He was allowed to have his tea and then was arrested.
The restaurant has decided to close its shutters for the day.
9.11am: The police are issuing warning to people who have gathered near the state secretariat, asking them to disperse by reminding them of the ban against gathering.
People having breakfast in a nearby restaurant are also being told to get away. Fresh arrests are expected.
9.09am: The crowd which had gathered at the Umno headquarters has started to disperse. Umno Youth exco member Lokman Adam told reporters that their members were now free to do their own work.
"We gathered to show support this morning and now that the assembly is about to start, we have decided to disperse.
"We are not like the Pakatan crowd who want to protest at the state secretariat despite a police ban," he said.
9.01am: The 11 people who have been arrested are herded into a police lorry inside the state secretary compound. They include one MP and three state assemblypersons - Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin (PKR-Selangor), Ayer Keroh state rep Khoo Poay Tiong (DAP-Malacca), Teratai state rep Jenice Lee (DAP-Selangor) and Bahau state rep Tey Kok Seong (DAP-Negri Sembilan).
The police lorry leaves the compound with those inside shouting “1BlackMalaysia”, “Dissolve the assembly” and “Reformasi”.
9am: All elected representatives are getting ready for the official ceremony to start. The regent is expected to arrive at any time.
8.59am: DAP's Ipoh Timor member of parliament Lim Kit Siang, under whose area the state secretariat is located, is turned away from the building.
Also with Lim are DAP's MPs for Ipoh Barat M Kulasegaran and Teluk Intan MP M Manogaran. The three MPs had official invitations to attend the sitting from assembly speaker.
In an ensuing shouting match with the police, Kulasegaran's aide was arrested.
8.50am: More arrests by the police. This time four people, including a Pakatan elected representative from Negeri Sembilan and Teratai state representative Jenice Lee (centre in photo), were arrested while having breakfast in a mamak stall.
8.47am: Batu MP Tian Chua, who has donned a black suit, arrived at the state secretariat compound. He was in Tai Sing Ng (Perak’s Kuala Sepetang rep) car. While Tai was allowed into the building, Chua was told to stay outside the ‘500m exclusion zone’. Chua left the area in another car.
So far, eight have been arrested, including Ampang MP Zuraida (PKR-Selangor), Ayer Keroh state rep Khoo (DAP-Malacca) and her aide.
8.45am: Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin, who wanted to give a press conference outside the state secretariat building, was arrested by the police. She resisted, resulting in a slight scuffle. Police officers forcibly subdued her and put handcuffs on the parliamentarian.
“Why do you handcuff me?” she shouted at the police. The Ayer Keroh state rep Khoo Poay Tiong from Malacca, who was arrested minutes earlier, was also handcuffed.
8.44am: A group of Umno/BN supporters numbering about 100 have started to gather at the Umno headquarters since morning. A spokesperson said they will be at the building until the official opening of the state assembly sitting. The crowd is carrying banners and placards. Some police officers are on standby.
8.37am: The police have totally cordoned off the road behind the state secretariat with barbed wires. A copy of an injunction obtained yesterday to bar people from gathering has been pasted on the ‘democracy tree'.
8.35am: Ousted menteri besar Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin and Pakatan reps enter the state secretariat building. All their bodyguards are stopped at the gate. Only their drivers can go through the entrance.
8.30am: All Barisan Nasional elected representatives arrived at the state secretariat in one bus. Their arrival is greeted by a small group of demonstrators wearing black. The demonstrators are located outside the state secretariat.
The police have moved in to stop the demonstration by arresting three people. Among those arrested are DAP's Ayer Keroh elected representative Khoo Poay Tiong.
8.15am: Security is tight at the Perak state secretariat building in Ipoh, where the controversial legislative assembly meeting is to be held. About 100 police and FRU personnel have been deployed in the area. Five FRU (riot police) trucks are at the back entrance of the building complex.
The assembly hall will be opened at 9am. There will be a guard of honour by crown prince Raja Nazrin Shah, who is expected to represent the Perak sultan. Journalists will be allowed into the hall at 9.45am.
The assembly will officially be opened by Raja Nazrin, who will give his address to the 59 assemblypersons.
8:05am: The 28 Pakatan Rakyat state assemblypersons leave for the Perak state secretariat building in a convoy from the Grand View Hotel in Ipoh. They were accompanied by assembly speaker V Sivakumar and police escorts complete with outriders. The hotel is about 600m from the state secretariat building.
Earlier this morning, the state representatives had breakfast together at a mamak stall near the hotel. There are about 50 Pakatan supporters milling around the area - all wearing black. They are being watched by an equal number of police.
May 7, 09 8:24am
LIVE REPORTS [Please click Refresh/Reload on your browser for the latest updates.]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.20am: The impasse between speaker V Sivakumar and BN state reps continues. The speaker refuses to begin proceedings unless the seven suspended reps and three BN-friendly independents leave the hall.
Assembly secretary Abdullah Antung tries to take his seat in front of the speaker. But about 10 Pakatan reps walk up to him and physically stop him from doing so. They instruct Antung not to interfere with assembly business as he is a civil servant.
Both sides then engage in a free-for-all shouting match. Pakatan reps are also seen trying to prevent BN MB Zambry from speaking.
Zambry moves motion to sack the speaker. Sivakumar rejects the motion. The assembly plunges into chaos.
Raja Nazrin, who is to officially open the assembly, is waiting in a VIP room.
10.19am: Two more politicians have been arrested by the police for breaching the injunction against gathering at the state secretariat - Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar (PSM) and Parit Buntar Mujahid Yusof Rawa (PAS).
Also arrested was Malaysiakini columnist and activist Helen Ang.
10.05am: The speaker said his suspension of Zambry and his six exco members was made in his capacity as the chairperson of the privileges and the special rights committee and not as the speaker.
He said the Federal Court decision was based on his standing as a speaker and as such the matter was inapplicable.
He also asked the three BN-friendly independents to leave the assembly as his legal suit against the three was still pending in court.
His order for the 10 to leave the assembly was greeted by cheers and table-clapping by the Pakatan representatives. They shouted ‘keluar' (out) repeatedly.
However the 10 elected representatives are still in the house. A shouting match between the two sides is presently underway.
Nizar is seated in the right side of the speaker - the place allocated for the ruling party while Zambry is on the left.
9.55am: The action has now moved inside the state assembly. House speaker V Sivakumar, after immediately taking his seat, asks the seven suspended BN state reps including BN appointed MB Zambry to leave the hall.
He says he won’t begin the assembly sitting until they are out of the hall. According to Sivakumar, he has the power to do so. Pakatan state reps thump their table in support.
9.45am: PAS Youth chief and MP for Kubang Kerian Salahuddin Ayub is arrested near the 'democracy tree' behind the state secretariat building.
9.40am: Pakatan supporters, estimated at around 200, are scattered in various places near the state assembly building. There is no crowd at the gate of the building. The compound is barricaded by about 200 police.
9.30am: Perak crown prince Raja Nazrin Shah arrives. He inspects the guards of honour. Unlike the cold reception given to BN MB Zambry, all Pakatan state reps raise to their feet to welcome Raja Nazrin.
He was greeted by Zambry, assembly speaker Sivakumar and deputy speaker Hee Yit Foong (who defected from DAP to become a BN-friendly Independent rep).
9.25am: BN Menteri Besar Zambry Abd Kadir arrives to inspect the guards of honour. He shakes hand with assembly speaker V Sivakumar. Only BN state reps stand up to welcome Zambry. Pakatan state reps however snub him by remaining seated.
9.23am: All 59 state reps seated outside the state secretariat building where the opening ceremony will be held. They are waiting for the arrival of Perak crown prince Raja Nazrin Shah.
BN appointed state cabinet members could be seen wearing ‘exco’ (executive councillor) tags while Pakatan reps, including ousted MB Nizar, were wearing ‘Adun’ (state representative) tags.
9.15am: The police have moved in to arrest people gathered at the restaurant, including people having their breakfast. Many people have been arrested. Exact number of those arrested is uncertain.
The police first allowed those having their breakfast to do so but then soon changed their mind and started arresting them as well.
One man who was having tea lashed out at the police for their actions. He was allowed to have his tea and then was arrested.
The restaurant has decided to close its shutters for the day.
9.11am: The police are issuing warning to people who have gathered near the state secretariat, asking them to disperse by reminding them of the ban against gathering.
People having breakfast in a nearby restaurant are also being told to get away. Fresh arrests are expected.
9.09am: The crowd which had gathered at the Umno headquarters has started to disperse. Umno Youth exco member Lokman Adam told reporters that their members were now free to do their own work.
"We gathered to show support this morning and now that the assembly is about to start, we have decided to disperse.
"We are not like the Pakatan crowd who want to protest at the state secretariat despite a police ban," he said.
9.01am: The 11 people who have been arrested are herded into a police lorry inside the state secretary compound. They include one MP and three state assemblypersons - Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin (PKR-Selangor), Ayer Keroh state rep Khoo Poay Tiong (DAP-Malacca), Teratai state rep Jenice Lee (DAP-Selangor) and Bahau state rep Tey Kok Seong (DAP-Negri Sembilan).
The police lorry leaves the compound with those inside shouting “1BlackMalaysia”, “Dissolve the assembly” and “Reformasi”.
9am: All elected representatives are getting ready for the official ceremony to start. The regent is expected to arrive at any time.
8.59am: DAP's Ipoh Timor member of parliament Lim Kit Siang, under whose area the state secretariat is located, is turned away from the building.
Also with Lim are DAP's MPs for Ipoh Barat M Kulasegaran and Teluk Intan MP M Manogaran. The three MPs had official invitations to attend the sitting from assembly speaker.
In an ensuing shouting match with the police, Kulasegaran's aide was arrested.
8.50am: More arrests by the police. This time four people, including a Pakatan elected representative from Negeri Sembilan and Teratai state representative Jenice Lee (centre in photo), were arrested while having breakfast in a mamak stall.
8.47am: Batu MP Tian Chua, who has donned a black suit, arrived at the state secretariat compound. He was in Tai Sing Ng (Perak’s Kuala Sepetang rep) car. While Tai was allowed into the building, Chua was told to stay outside the ‘500m exclusion zone’. Chua left the area in another car.
So far, eight have been arrested, including Ampang MP Zuraida (PKR-Selangor), Ayer Keroh state rep Khoo (DAP-Malacca) and her aide.
8.45am: Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin, who wanted to give a press conference outside the state secretariat building, was arrested by the police. She resisted, resulting in a slight scuffle. Police officers forcibly subdued her and put handcuffs on the parliamentarian.
“Why do you handcuff me?” she shouted at the police. The Ayer Keroh state rep Khoo Poay Tiong from Malacca, who was arrested minutes earlier, was also handcuffed.
8.44am: A group of Umno/BN supporters numbering about 100 have started to gather at the Umno headquarters since morning. A spokesperson said they will be at the building until the official opening of the state assembly sitting. The crowd is carrying banners and placards. Some police officers are on standby.
8.37am: The police have totally cordoned off the road behind the state secretariat with barbed wires. A copy of an injunction obtained yesterday to bar people from gathering has been pasted on the ‘democracy tree'.
8.35am: Ousted menteri besar Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin and Pakatan reps enter the state secretariat building. All their bodyguards are stopped at the gate. Only their drivers can go through the entrance.
8.30am: All Barisan Nasional elected representatives arrived at the state secretariat in one bus. Their arrival is greeted by a small group of demonstrators wearing black. The demonstrators are located outside the state secretariat.
The police have moved in to stop the demonstration by arresting three people. Among those arrested are DAP's Ayer Keroh elected representative Khoo Poay Tiong.
8.15am: Security is tight at the Perak state secretariat building in Ipoh, where the controversial legislative assembly meeting is to be held. About 100 police and FRU personnel have been deployed in the area. Five FRU (riot police) trucks are at the back entrance of the building complex.
The assembly hall will be opened at 9am. There will be a guard of honour by crown prince Raja Nazrin Shah, who is expected to represent the Perak sultan. Journalists will be allowed into the hall at 9.45am.
The assembly will officially be opened by Raja Nazrin, who will give his address to the 59 assemblypersons.
8:05am: The 28 Pakatan Rakyat state assemblypersons leave for the Perak state secretariat building in a convoy from the Grand View Hotel in Ipoh. They were accompanied by assembly speaker V Sivakumar and police escorts complete with outriders. The hotel is about 600m from the state secretariat building.
Earlier this morning, the state representatives had breakfast together at a mamak stall near the hotel. There are about 50 Pakatan supporters milling around the area - all wearing black. They are being watched by an equal number of police.