The Star : Nizar seeks audience

(The Star) IPOH: Reinstated Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin left from the state secretariat building here at 8:00am Tuesday for Istana Kuala Kangsar for the royal investiture ceremony. He is expected to seek royal consent from the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah, to dissolve the State Legislative Assembly to pave the way for fresh state elections. His aide Amran Harun, delivered a formal letter informing the palace of Nizar's wish for an audience with the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, to seek his royal consent to dissolve the Assembly. The letter was delivered at 8:20am. Pakatan Rakyat state executive councillors had started gathering at the so-called "democracy tree" where the March 3 "under the tree" Assembly sitting took place as early as 7:30am. As soon as Nizar arrived, the group moved towards the state secretariat building where they were temporarily denied entry by police who said they were acting under the instructions of State Secretary Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Hashim. There was a heavy police presence at the building, with some of them in riot gear. Nizar, who was declared the rightful mentri besar by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday, had actually suspended Abdul Rahman, although the letter of suspension had not been served yet. The Pakatan group was finally allowed in after a few minutes. Also accompanying them were Ipoh Barat Member of Parliament M. Kulasegaran and V. Sivakumar, who was ousted as Speaker in the May 7 State Assembly sitting whose validity is now under question. It is believed that they will serve suspension letters to both Abdul Rahman and State Legal Adviser Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid. On Monday, High Court (Appellate and Special Powers) judge Justice Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahim had granted a declaratory relief to Nizar that he is still and was mentri besar at all material times. The court, which issued a declaratory relief that Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir had no right to occupy the office of Perak Mentri Besar, also ordered him to show cause and give information under what policy, power or authority he allegedly held office and exercised the responsibilities, functions and duties as mentri besar.