Perak rebel Umno MB and his six exco members suspended from State Assembly

Perak rebel Umno Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and his rebel state government's six state executive councillors from the Barisan Nasional have been suspended by the State Rights and Privileges Committee for contempt of the State Assembly.

Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir Zambry (Pangkor assemblyman) was suspended for 18 months while the six exco members Dr Mah Hang Soon (MCA-Chenderiang), Hamidah Osman (Umno-Sungai Rapat), Zainol Fadzi Paharudin (Umno-Sungai Manik), Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid (Umno-Kamunting), Datuk Saarani Mohamad (Umno-Kota Tampan) and Datuk Ramly Zahari (Umno-Manong) were suspended for 12 months.

The decision was announced by State Assembly Speaker V Sivakumar after a two-hearing which began yesterday.

The latest episode is expected to further worsen Perak's constitutional and political crisis which sparked off after the capture of the state government, following the cross-over of some Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen to the BN earlier this month.

The seven BN assemblymen had been referred to the Rights and Privileges Committee for contempt of the State Assembly when they took up the posts in the rebel state government's state executive council.

Zambry had yesterday appeared before the committee chaired by Sivakumar and made up of six other assemblymen, Datuk Hasbullah Osman (Temenggor) of Barisan Nasional and five from Pakatan Rakyat - Husin Din (Selingsing), Chan Ming Kai (Simpang Pulai), Ong Boon Piow (Tebing Tinggi), Loke Chee Yan (Kepayang) and Sum Chok Leng (Bercham).

Sivakumar had yesterday said the committee called them to give statements for the purpose of gathering information and to investigate a statement of Zambry's that appeared in newspapers on Tuesday. He said the probe was done under Article 72(3) of the Perak Standing Orders.

The mentri besar and his rebel state government's executive councillors were suspended due to their coup d'etat earlier which toppled the Pakatan Rakyat's elected state government when the Umno state assemblymen seized power after it conducted its own state assembly sitting at the Perak Umno headquarters to declared that they already had the numbers to form the new state government.