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Malaysia in political limbo over state leader
A Malaysian state rocked by a ding-dong battle for power was stuck in political limbo on Tuesday after an appeals court put on hold a ruling by another court that reinstated an opposition leader as its chief minister.
- Agencies
- Published: 22:52 May 12, 2009
Kuala Lumpur: A Malaysian state rocked by a ding-dong battle for power was stuck in political limbo on Tuesday after an appeals court put on hold a ruling by another court that reinstated an opposition leader as its chief minister.
The High Court ruled on Monday that Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin was wrongly removed as the chief minister of the northern state of Perak, even though his opposition People's Alliance coalition had apparently lost the majority in the state parliament because of defections.
The ruling National Front coalition appealed the verdict in the Appeals Court on Tuesday.
Zambry Abdul Kadir of the National Front replaced Mohammad Nizar as Perak's chief minister.
Philip Koh, one of Nizar's lawyers, said the Appeals Court granted Zambry "a stay of execution", which means the High Court ruling cannot be enforced until the Appeals Court gives a fresh verdict in the case.
The move effectively restored the status quo with Zambry once again becoming the Perak chief minister, less than 24 hours after he was removed by the High Court, Koh told reporters.
Earlier yesterday, Nizar returned to work and was hoping to seek an audience with Perak's sultan, the state's titular head, to ask for the state parliament to be dissolved to make way for fresh elections.
The High Court verdict was a bitter blow to Najib who is struggling to revive his coalition's popularity, which has slumped amid complaints of corruption.
Nizar and state officials couldn't be reached for comment.
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