TV PAKATAN RAKYAT

It was a heart-wrenching moment, says ousted Perak mentri besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin when asked about the day he was sworn in as Bukit Gantang MP. There he was, reading out a pledge to uphold the laws embodied in the Federal Constitution which was, ironically, drafted by mostly Umno pioneers themselves and yet, his home state of Perak has been engulfed by a crisis started by the said party itself. “I am a human being. When I held my right hand up to swear in, with the deepest part of my heart, I pledged that I would serve and uphold the Constitution. (And at that time), I spontaneously shouted out Bubar DUN (Dewan Undangan Negeri or state assembly) Perak,” he told a press conference in Parliament today after returning from a two-day suspension.

Nizar was among seven other lawmakers suspended from the Dewan Rakyat on Monday following their open protest against the Barisan Nasional (BN) power grab in Perak. The seven wore headbands and armbands with “Bubar DUN” written on them. Nizar went one step further by shouting it right after he was sworn in and the rest is history. “It was my golden opportunity,” Nizar explained. “If I were to say it in (the state assembly) in Perak, I would have been handcuffed,” he added, referring to the police intrusion of the State assembly building on the chaotic May 7 sitting which saw a Pakatan Rakyat Speaker physically removed.

“In Parliament, I was among all the BN ministers. It was a chance to convey my message to him,” said Nizar further. The person he was referring to? Datuk Seri Najib Razak who was attending the sitting for the first time as prime minister.