Press Statement by Lim Guan Eng in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, 14^th May 2009: 

Police must not become BN bodyguards, Zambry cannot become Menteri Besar 

The Inspector-General of Police must investigate immediately on a report lodged by Perak Speaker V. Sivakumar over the issue of a gun being brought into the Perak state assembly sitting on May 7.

If the person who brought in the gun was found of to be a policeman, stern action must be taken immediately. No one is allowed to bring firearms in any state assembly or the Parliament.

Barisan Nasional Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir was given full protection by the police when he returned to the Perak state secretariat yesterday. But when the legitimate Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin were back at work after the High Court on May 11 declared him the rightful Menteri Besar, according to Malaysikini.com, there were “a large contingent of riot police. At least five Federal Reserve Unit trucks, one water cannon and about 50 uniformed policemen were seen milling around the compound.”

I want to remind the IGP that the police are the servants of the people. Their salaries are paid by the taxpayers, not Barisan Nasional. Therefore I would like to see a more professional approach from the police in handling the Perak issue.

The country had already been embarrassed by the mass arrests around the Perak state assembly building on May 7 was also shocked to see police personnel behaving as if they were the bodyguards for Umno and BN. The police have shamed themselves by openly supporting Zambry, the man who claimed to be the Perak Menteri Besar.

Zambry may want to continue pretending to be Menteri Besar but it is wrong for him to resume the position of Menteri Besar after the High Court made its decision on May 11.

Even after the Court of Appeal’s decision on May 12 to grant a stay of execution on the High Court’s ruling that declared the popularly elected Mohd Nizar as the legitimate Menteri Besar, Zambry has no right to take over the Menteri Besar post.

Since the High Court has decided that Mohd Nizar was the rightful Menteri Besar, Zambry is nothing but a usurper of power.

In a case involving death penalty, a stay of execution does not mean the accused would be freed. It simply means to person have to wait until the final judgement is made.

In this case, Zambry cannot become the Menteri Besar. If there’s a need for anyone to take over at this moment, it should be Mohd Nizar because he was the one elected by the people.

The only way to resolve this embarrassing musical chair is to dissolve the Perak State Assembly immediately to make way for a fresh election to allow the rakyat the right to choose their own government. Only by returning power to the people, honour can be restored in Perak and Malaysia.

* Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary-General & Penang Chief Minister; Member of Parliament for Bagan