Malaysian politics thrown into further turmoil

MALAYSIA: A state parliament has suspended its chief minister and his Cabinet in an unexpected twist to an escalating political crisis gripping Malaysia’s opposition, the ruling coalition and the royalty.

Perak state assembly speaker V. Sivakumar ordered the suspensions Wednesday, a move certain to provoke charges of partisan politics since he belongs to the opposition People’s Alliance coalition while Chief Minister Zambry Abd Kadir is from the ruling National Front coalition.

“I have decided that Dr. Zambry is, with immediate effect, suspended and barred from attending State Assembly sessions for 18 months while the six (Cabinet) members are barred for 12 months,” Sivakumar said in a statement.

The development highlights the growing instability in Malaysian politics since the March 2008 elections when the National Front suffered its worst results ever. It lost control of five states including Perak, as well as its traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament, conceding a large number of seats to the People’s Alliance.

The Perak crisis started last month when the People’s Alliance was ousted from the state government following the defection of three legislators, tipping the balance of power in favor of the National Front.

Immediately, the state’s hereditary ruler and titular head, Sultan Azlan Shah, appointed Zambry as the new chief minister. The opposition claimed the sultan acted unconstitutionally in appointing Zambry without waiting for a vote of confidence in the state assembly.

Sivakumar said Zambry and the others had shown contempt for the assembly by taking office unconstitutionally. If the suspensions stand, the balance of power will return to the People’s Alliance.

Sivakumar has also indirectly questioned the sultan’s decision, a move fraught with risk of igniting racial conflicts.

Sultans in Malaysian states are highly respected and considered beyond reproach by most Malays, who are a majority in the country and who believe decisions by sultans should not be questioned, especially by non-Malays. Sivakumar is from the minority ethnic Indian community.

“The suspension is tantamount to not respecting the sultan,” said Mah Hang Soon, one of the suspended members. Hamdi Abu Bakar, an associate of Zambry, said the Cabinet would continue to work as normal.

“The speaker has no right to do that. It’s an abuse of power,” he said.

Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, AP