At last! A clear way out for Perak unless …

By Wong Choon Mei [Updated]

At last! Light begins to return to Perak after three months of un-paralleled darkness, infamy and shame as Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Umno-BN coalition tried to force their coup d’etat of the Pakatan Rakyat state government down the peoples’ throats.

Now that the much-anticipated High Court ruling is out of the way, political watchers and civil society leaders say there is no excuse for Najib to further delay doing the right thing by the Perak people.

The same with the Sultan.

Justice Abdul Aziz Abd Rahim ruled on Monday that Pakatan leader Nizar Jamaluddin was still the legitimate and rightful chief minister of the state, and not Umno’s Zambry Kadir.

A jubilant Nizar has already left for his home state to seek an audience with Sultan Azlan.

He will surely request for the dissolution of the state assembly that the Pakatan leadership has promised to deliver to the people of Perak.

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Suara Keadilan appends below the reactions to the court ruling and its impact to Perak and the rest of the country:

Ragunath Kesavan, Bar Council president
Our view has all along been that the Sultan has the power to appoint, not to remove. The only way for Nizar to be removed was if there had been a vote of no-confidence in him undertaken by the state assembly or if he had resigned.

As with anyone else, the Umno-BN has the right to appeal, whether or not they have a case. But the solution for this crisis does not lie with the courts as the Bar Council has been saying all along.

The solution lies with the people. They are the ones to decide and we would advise Prime Minister Najib Razak and his coalition to accept this reality.

There is also no reason for the Sultan not to see Nizar now. Nizar is the Menteri Besar not Zambry. There is no reason not to grant Nizar an audience or to not recognise him.

With this decision, Nizar has not stopped being Menteri Besar for a single day. All subsequent decisions including the May 7 sitting are invalid. Everything goes back to status quo and that means, Zambry was never Menteri Besar and all subsequents events are null and void.

Anwar Ibrahim, Opposition Leader
This is a victory for the people and also for the system of democracy in our country. We urge PAS leader Nizar Jamaluddin to immediately resume his duties as Menteri Besar, Perak.

Today’s decision proves that the Constitution is the highest law in our country. It is therefore crucial for all government institutions to respect the spirit that is enshrined in the Constitution and the laws it contains.

To end the crisis in Perak, Pakatan Rakyat will seek a dissolution of the Perak state assembly with immediate effect.

This will allow the rakyat to re-determine the state government that they want and trust through fresh election. We are confident that the people will choose wisely for their future and the future of the nation.

Ramon Navaratnam, ex-president of Transparency International
This is a good chance, perhaps even the last, for Najib to regain some credibility. He should no longer thwart their wishes but accept with good grace and humility the court’s decision today. If Nizar calls for fresh election, Najib must not oppose or stand in his way.

Only then, will our sixth prime minister have a chance to claw back from the darkness that has surrounded Perak. If he behaves honourably, there is still chance for him to learn his lesson and turn defeat into victory.

Azrul Azwa, economist Bank Islam
This court ruling sheds a light at the end of the tunnel for our friends in Perak and even for us - the country as whole. At the end of the day, the decision must go back to the people. Let them decide, it is their state and their leaders.

You see, when the people are confident, investors will also be confident. I hope the the powers-that-be will not drag out the matter. Investor confidence in our system, our judiciary and the independence of our judges, has worn so thin the past months. Today’s ruling will help to repair some of that damage. But it is still very fragile.

Lee Boon Chye, MP for Gopeng
The ruling means that all subsequent events after Zambry’s appointment including the May 7 assembly are illegal as his appointment was illegal. There won’t be greater chaos there already is. In fact, there is now a very, very bright light at the end of the tunnel unless the Prime Minister Najib and the Sultan refuses to accept the court’s decision.

But there is really no constitutional reason for Sultan Azlan not to see Nizar now.

Tian Chua, Keadilan strategic affairs director
Hidup rakyat Perak! Nizar MB sah. Let us now pray that the PM will honour the court’s decision and not throw in obstacles at all costs to block Nizar’s return. We also hope that the Sultan will recognise the ruling and more importantly the wishes of his subjects.