Perak Speaker has suspension powers, says legal expert
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — The Perak Speaker acted within his powers when he barred Menteri Besar Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir and six executive councillors from the next sitting of the state legislature, in the latest move arising from the constitutional crisis in Perak, said a law expert today.
Abdul Aziz Bari, a law professor at the International Islamic University here, told The Malaysian Insider that the Speaker’s authority covers a very wide area in matters involving the assembly’s regulations.
“That includes the finality on the interpretation of provisions in the Standing Orders, the rules which govern the House,” he said.
Veteran lawyer, Karpal Singh, concurred.
Karpal, who is also the DAP chairman, said that while V Sivakumar is a first-term Speaker, he is absolutely within his rights to act as he did today.
Earlier today, Sivakumar announced that Zambry would not be allowed to take part in the state assembly’s proceedings for the next 18 months, following a probe by the state assembly’s Special Privileges Committee.
Sivakumar added that six other BN state lawmakers would also not be allowed in for the next 12 months.
The committee had acted following complaints that the seven state assemblymen were appointed unconstitutionally.
Abdul Aziz observed that at the federal level, the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat has previously made some “absurd and illogical decisions — rejecting motions and suspending members, among others”.
“Now it is the turn of the BN to taste that,” he noted.
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-malaysianinsider.com
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