A return to people’s power by fresh democratic general election for Terengganu is DAP’s solution to the Terengganu constitutional crisis brought about by the resignation of three UMNO State Assemblymen leading to an UMNO Minority state government. This was stated by DAP leaders, including Geylang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang, who had issued a press statement yesterday.
Certain press reports highlighting Kit Siang’s call for the newly-minted Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman to hand over the government to PAS is incorrect. Kit Siang had only mentioned this as one of the 3 possible scenarios, before stressing that fresh democratic general election by the people of Terengganu would be the best way out to resolve who has the mandate of the people to rule Terengganu.
The resignations by the 3 UMNO Terengganu ADUNs leaves BN as a minority government with 14 seats in the assembly, against Pakatan Rakyat’s 15 in the 32-seat assembly. To resolve this impasse, the DAP had proposed fresh state elections.
However, Datuk A. Kadir Jasin, former group chief editor of The News Straits Times, even suggested a solution of the ongoing Terengganu crisis, saying that the three Umno assemblymen turned independent candidates could change their minds if the “price is right” because trustworthy politicians don’t exist anymore. Kadir Jasin’s “price is right” by untrustworthy politicians’ prediction is likely to be proven correct as the 3 rebel UMNO Assemblymen is said to be changing their minds and returning back to UMNO.
What is unprincipled, dishonest and self-contradictory is the comment by MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai today that the 3 rebel UMNO State assemblymen in Terengganu should give top priority to the interests of the people and ensure the state Government continue. Why then did MCA not say the same when 3 PR ADUNs crossed over to support BN resulting in a change of state government in Perak, but instead supported the unconstitutional takeover by BN of Perak state government in 2009?