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Duo deny quitting posts
but avoid media
SHAH ALAM: Both the contro-
versial Perak state assemblymen
who have allegedly resigned
called for separate press confer-
ences yesterday but they did not
show up. Instead only “agents”
were present to hand out identical
statements denying that they had
resigned.
Changkat Jering assemblyman
and Perak state executive coun-
cillor Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu
denied that he had relinquished
his position as assemblyman and
dismissed allegations that he had
jumped from Pakatan Rakyat (PR)
to Barisan Nasional (BN).
Puzi Ghazali, claiming to be
a representative of Osman, told
reporters in Concorde Hotel here
that the elected representative
could not attend the press confer-
ence as he was unwell and on his
way to a hospital.
In a statement to the media
distributed by Puzi, Osman said
he had never gone to State As-
sembly Speaker V. Sivakumar’s
house to tendered his resignation
as alleged.
“I hope this explanation will
dispel all confusion that has
arisen,” said Osman, adding that
he hoped PR leaders, especially
those from Parti Keadilan Rakyat
(PKR), would stop making allega-
tions against him.
“I was elected by the majority
voters, I feel that there is much
more for me to do to fulfil my du-
ties and responsibilities.”
PAS needs to be more mature in politics: Shabery
LONDON: Political parties like PAS
should be more mature in politics and
not hope for defections by elected
representatives to enable them to
join any new government that might
be formed, said Information Minister
Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek.
He said they could learn from
political practices adopted in other
In KLIA’s Pan Pacific Hotel,
Firdaus Sharudddin, who claims
to be Jamaluddin’s special officer,
also distributed a statement deny-
ing the Behrang assemblyman
had resigned.
Firdaus also said Jamaluddin
“is on medical leave”.
“I wish to deny all allegations
in newspaper reports stating that
I have resigned as assemblyman.
I’m still an assemblyman and I
have no plans to relinquish my
post, and I have never disappeared
or went into hiding because I want
to jump parties.
“I wish to emphasise that I was
on medical leave from Jan 28 to
Jan 30. I used the next two days
(Saturday and Sunday) to have
a good rest. I’m surprised and
countries such as Britain where
talks of party-hopping by elected
representatives following a general
election were unheard of.
“When the general election is
over, that’s it. We wait for the next
general election. PAS or any other
political party should be more ma-
ture in its politics by giving the win-
shocked by the
statements made
by the state assem-
bly speaker that I
had resigned and
the allegations are
baseless,” he said.
Jamaluddin said
he was not in Perak
on Sunday and the
allegations that he
had gone person-
ally to deliver his
resignation letter to
the speaker’s house
was untrue.
“The speaker’s
statement has
caused a lot of con-
fusion and panic,
and it should not
have happened in the first place,”
said Jamaluddin.
“For the time being, I will
continue my duties and responsi-
bilties, and the issue of me switch-
ing parties does not arise.
“I hope my explanation will put
this issue to rest and I hope no PR
leaders would make unnecessary
statements on this issue for their
own political interests.”
Firdaus said Jamaluddin had
sent a copy of his medical leave
to the state government’s office for
the record.
Declining to explain why
Jamaluddin failed to turn up for
the scheduled press conference,
Firdaus said: “Jamaluddin was on
his way to KL.”
ners a chance to carry out their tasks
and responsibility,” he told reporters
at a Chinese New Year gathering at
Malaysia Hall, here on Sunday.
PAS was reported to have sug-
gested the dissolution of Parliament
to enable a new general election to
be held instead of introducing a law
on party hopping. – Bernama
Chronology of events
Aug 25
Perak Entrepreneur Development
and Co-
operatives Committee chairman
Jamaluddin
Mat Radzi (Behrang assemblyman
), Perak
Tourism and NGO Committee chair
man Mohd
Osman Mohd Jailu (Changkat Jerin
g assem-
blyman), PKR Parit division chief
and former
Bota assemblyman Kapt Usaili Alias
, Perak
Tengah district councillor Zul Hass
an and
State Economic Development Corp
oration
(SEDC) technician Ruslan Sahat are
charged
with corruption. Ipoh sessions court
sets Feb
10 for hearing.
Jan 15
PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri
Anwar families of
Ibrahim hints of Barisan Nasional
(BN) men
defecting to PR.
Jan 25
Umno’s Bota assemblyman Nasa
rudin Hash-
im jumps to PKR. The seat count
now Pakatan Rakyat (PR) 32 and
in Perak is
BN 27.
Jan 26
Najib says no more defections to
PR.
Wednesday
Jamaluddin and Osman go missi
ng. PKR and
state colleagues are unable to reach
him.
Friday
China Press names Jamaluddin
and Osman
as possible defectors from PR to
BN.
Saturday
» Perak PKR accuses Deputy Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak of attem
entice Jamaluddin and Osman to
pting to
defect.
» Najib calls for an emergency meet
ing with
PKR says Jamaludin,
Osman still its reps
IPOH: Perak Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) chair-
man Osman Abdul Rahman said yesterday
PKR still considers Behrang assemblyman
Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Changkat Jer-
ing assemblyman Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu
its elected representatives. “We have not
received any resignation letter from them,”
he told reporters at the PKR office.
The duo went “missing” for days last
week, fuelling speculations they were join-
ing Barisan Nasional. – Bernama
Osman denies quitting
in police report
SHAH ALAM: Shah Alam OCPD ACP Nor
Azam Jamaluddin yesterday confirmed
receiving a police report lodged by a
representative of Changkat Jering as-
semblyman Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu.
The report lodged by Mohd Farizal
Umar also stated Osman of PKR had
denied resigning as assemblyman. It
was lodged at the Shah Alam police
headquarters at 1.30am yesterday.
The status of Osman and Behrang
assemblyman Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi
(PKR) is in doubt after Perak State As-
sembly Speaker V. Sivakumar said on
Sunday they had submitted resignation
letters as assemblymen. – Bernama
| TUESDAY FEBRUARY 3 2009
all Perak state lawmakers at his
residence
in Putrajaya.
» DAP secretary-general Lim Guan
Eng says
assemblymen who go incommuni
cado for 24
hours are deemed to have vacated
their seats.
Sunday
» Perak Umno secretary Datuk Ramly Zahari
tells Malaysian Insider that news of
two miss-
ing excos is a media gimmick by
PR.
»
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdu
llah Ah-
mad Badawi says several PR asse
mblymen
are on verge of joining BN.
»
Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Moha
mmad
Nizar Jamaluddin said state would
be lodging
a missing persons report after spea
king to
the assemblymen.
»
Perak State Assembly Speaker V.
Sivaku-
mar says he received resignation
letters from
Jamaluddin and Osman via fax at
5.45pm in
his house. Declares the Behrang
and Chang-
kat Jering state seats as vacant.
»
Jamaluddin denies resigning and
says he
had been on medical leave since Wednesday.
Questions validity of undated letter
said PKR assemblymen were made
which he
to sign
after the gene ral election in March 2008,
pledging their loyalty to the party
vacate their seat if they were to
and to
quit PKR.
»
DAP’s Jelapang assemblyman and
Perak
Deputy Speaker Hee Yit Fong “disa
ppears”
briefl y, spark ing rumo urs of a defection. Hee
said she had switched off her hand
phone
as she was unwell and that no effor
ts were
made to seek her in her hous
e.
Yesterday
»
Sivakumar informs Perak Election
Com-
mission of Changkat Jering and
vacant seats.
Behrang
»Nizar has an audience with Perak
’s Sultan
Azlan Shah for about 30 minutes
without speaking to reporters.
and leaves
Lim tells Perak reps to
‘stay in close touch’
GEORGE TOWN: DAP secretary-general
Lim Guan Eng has called on the party’s as-
semblymen in Perak to stay in close touch
with the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leadership in
view of “fast-breaking political develop-
ments” in the state.
The Penang chief minister said it was
imperative for the assemblymen to remain
in contact during the current period so as
not to undermine the confidence of voters
who had elected them. “If they cannot be
contacted for more than 24 hours, we
will take it as a serious indication of their
desire to leave, that they may no longer be
interested in serving as assemblymen.”
Hee’s ‘crossover’ just
rumour, says Ong
PETALING JAYA: The talk of a crossover
by Perak Deputy Speaker Hee Yit Fong
from DAP to MCA was a mere “hyped
up” rumour, says MCA president Datuk
Seri Ong Tee Keat.
“People have been hyping up the
issue, but in Ipoh, people only saw
the MCA leader. The person who was
hyped up was not there at all,” said
Ong, who dismissed any speculation
of such crossovers.