Crisis averted

Crisis averted

Posted by Raja Petra
Saturday, 15 March 2008

In Perak: DAP, PAS and PKR sign accord agreeing to Sultan's chosen menteri besar

THE squabble within the opposition coalition in Perak looks set to end, with the three parties signing an accord yesterday to stop squabbling over the leadership of the state.

The three parties signed and submitted a letter to the Sultan of Perak state just after midnight on Thursday, confirming that Parti Islam SeMalaysia's (PAS) Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin will become the Menteri Besar.

The disagreement over the leadership - played out in public since Wednesday - prompted predictions that the opposition alliance would not be able to stick together for long despite its spectacular victories in last Saturday's election.

The Perak tussle also appears to reflect the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party's (DAP) suspicion of the hardline Islamic PAS, which once advocated setting up an Islamic state before toning down its religious rhetoric.

The saga, which revealed cracks in the opposition alliance soon after its surprise success, appeared to come to an end yesterday with the signing of the letter sent to the Sultan.

The letter was signed by all 31 assemblymen of the three parties who won seats in the 59-member state assembly, said Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) Dzulkifly Ibrahim.

'Everything is settled...we are ready now,' he said.

Officials of the other two parties, PAS and the DAP, confirmed that they had signed the letter.

'After the representatives of the three parties were summoned by the Regent of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, at 2pm yesterday, we signed and handed over the letter,' said Perak PAS deputy commissioner Asmuni Awi.

It is not clear when the new Menteri Besar will be sworn in, though sources said that the ceremony might be held on Monday.

The trouble had started on Wednesday when Perak Sultan Azlan Shah chose PAS' Mohammad Nizar, 51, as the new Menteri Besar.

Up to then, the three parties had said that they would abide by his choice, having submitted one candidate each.

The three parties had formed a coalition state government after winning 31 seats in Perak, ousting the Barisan Nasional in a shock defeat last Saturday.

PAS won six state seats, PKR seven and the DAP 18.

The DAP, the biggest opposition winner, immediately protested against the Sultan's choice, with party adviser Lim Kit Siang calling for his party colleagues to boycott the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.

He later retracted the call and apologised.

A compromise was reached when the DAP and PAS agreed that Mr Nizar would remain the Menteri Besar, but his 10-member executive council would have eight DAP members.

This upset the PKR, which objected to getting only one post in the state Cabinet and even threatened to leave the coalition government.

An exasperated Sultan cancelled the swearing-in ceremony at the last minute on Thursday and told the parties to settle their differences and give him a written statement from all their state assemblymen.

Yesterday, PKR deputy president Syed Husin Ali said there was no longer any disagreement.

All three parties, he said, have agreed that the DAP would fill six Cabinet positions, while three would go to PKR and one to PAS.

'We agreed on this last night... it's to the satisfaction of all,' he said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS, BERNAMA