ALOR STAR, Nov 12 — Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today instructed Kota Siputeh assemblyman Datuk Abu Hasan Sarif to attend the state assembly sitting scheduled for Tuesday.
He said that although Speaker Datuk Dr Abdul Isa Ismail had said that Abu Hasan had lost his eligibility as an assemblyman, Barisan Nasional (BN) concurred with the decision by the Election Commission (EC) which ruled that there was no vacancy for the seat and that Abu Hasan was still the assemblyman for the area.
“He is still an assembly member and the speaker cannot stop him from attending the sitting.
“The EC has announced that the Kota Siputeh seat is not vacant and that there is no by-election for the area. Under what power the speaker can rule otherwise?” he told reporters after visiting flood victims at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Gunung here.
Muhyiddin said Abu Hasan should attend the sitting as it was his duty to do so as an assemblyman.
Abdul Isa said recently that Abu Hasan was no longer an assemblyman although the court had yet to make a ruling on his position.
He claimed that Abu Hasan had lost his eligibility since Aug 17 for not attending two state assembly sittings consecutively.
Abdul Isa has filed an application seeking a judicial review on the EC’s decision.
The state assembly will sit from Tuesday to table the 2010 State Budget. — Bernama
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Another of UMNO/BN arrogance and the cowardice of government officials!
Please respect the sanctity of lawmakers.