Karpal queries DAP, Pakatan leaders' silence - Malaysiakini

Fauwaz Abdul Aziz | May 10, 08 10:10am

Amidst the uproar from Barisan Nasional leaders over Karpal Singh’s remarks regarding Perak Sultan Azlan Shah’s order for a senior civil servant to be reinstated, the DAP chairperson has expressed surprise about the noticeable silence from his own party members.

“My own party leaders have not condemned me for saying what I said. On the other hand, they have not come out openly to support me, which is unfortunate,” he told a press conference at his office in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

“When it comes to the crunch, the party must, should stand by its chairman as long as the chairman is telling the truth,” he added.Karpal’s comments come on the heels of several police reports and statements by BN and Malay leaders - including Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Najib Razak - against his statements on the Perak Sultan.

Azlan Shah had ordered for the reinstatement of the state’s Islamic Department director Jamry Sury after the latter was transferred to another department following what was alleged to be his refusal to cooperate with the new Pakatan Rakyat state government.

In response to the sultan’s orders, Karpal said early this month that Azlan Shah had acted beyond his powers as under the country's law, the Pakatan-led state government had every right to transfer Jamry as he is a government servant.

Commenting on this Thursday, Abdullah claimed that what Karpal said was seditious, insulting to the Sultan and tantamount to questioning his prerogative and knowledge of his scope of duties as the state’s head of religion.

Najib, on the other hand, described Karpal’s statement as incorrect as the federal and state constitutions legally allow the sultan to act as he did.

Perak MB also quiet

Several police reports were also made by Barisan Nasional MPs and a Malay NGOs coalition, who accused Karpal of being seditious, rude and having insulted the institution of Malay rulers.
Following this, Karpal said yesterday that the police were scheduled to see him tomorrow morning at his office in Penang.

While Karpal said he will not back down from his stand on the issue despite the police reports against him and what he described as moves to ‘intimidate’ him, he was also wondering why his own party members and other leaders from the Pakatan coalition were muted on the issue.

“Publicly, I have not seen any statements (by DAP leaders), at least in print,” said Karpal.Asked why there were no such statements supporting him, Karpal said:

“I don’t know. They should back me, right?”

Meanwhile, in the Star, Perak Menteri Besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin was reported to have kept mum on Karpal’s comment that Nizar had ‘wilted and buckled’ under royal pressure.

Asked about Karpal’s statement that he had bowed down by apologising to Azlan Shah over Jamry’s reinstatement, Nizar was quoted as having said: “

“No. No. No. No statement from me,” said the report yesterday.

- Malaysiakini.com, Fauwaz Abdul Aziz | May 10, 08 10:10am