Datuk Ahmad Said has been appointed the Mentri Besar by the Sultan of Terengganu. He has the support of seven of the eight Umno division leaders in the state.
22 (or should we say 23) of the 24 BN ADUNs apparently supported the choice of the Prime Minister to be Menteri Besar of the State - that is the former MB, one Idris Jusoh..
Something is certainly not right here --- and this is what happens when the PM (or the so-called UMNO leadership) choses the candidates without considering the feelings of the local divisions... and now it seems that this is case when it is also reported that the 7 out of 8 UMNO divisions "lobbied" for the appointment. So, will the leaders and members of these 7 divisions of UMNO also be stripped of their membership without being accorded the right to be heard.
Datuk Ahmad Said has been stripped for disobeying party leadership -- where was the show-cause letter? Where was that Disciplinary Board Hearing? Where was that right to be heard and 'fair trial' principles --- but what am I talking about for it is UMNO ... and things work differently there -- Leader say jump - all who do not jump no more member... Since when has it become an offence for a member to disobey the party leadership??
"DERHAKA" -- would the behaviour and the boycott by the 23 amount to that? If the Sultan orders that you do A, and your PM orders that you do B? What do you do? Who will you obey? "Kesetiaan kepada Raja dan Negara".
According to a recent report, now, the Attorney General has come out with his ADVICE --- do we not have State Legal Advisors (and was he not also present during the appointment ceremony)? Remember, this is a State Matter....
Sunday March 23, 2008(Star Online)
Terengganu MB: PM or Sultan’s choice?
PETALING JAYA: The Terengganu Mentri Besar should be a person who has the confidence of the state assembly, a constitutional law expert said.
Universiti Teknologi Mara Law professor Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi said the position of Kijal assemblyman Datuk Ahmad Said would not be safe even if he was appointed the Mentri Besar by the Sultan of Terengganu.
He said although the Sultan had the discretion in appointing Ahmad as the new Mentri Besar, legally this could be disputed because the person has to command the confidence of the majority of the assembly.
“The Sultan has discretionary powers but this discretion is not absolute. The Sultan is not bound to listen to the advice of Umno divisions or the Federal Government but he has to listen to the state assembly,” he added.
Prof Shad also said that Ahmad, however, has the option of waiting 90 days – until May 13 – to consolidate his powers before convening the state assembly.
“This means he can appoint new state executive councillors, including those from the six PAS assemblymen, or he can even call for a state election,” he said.
Prof Shad said the state assembly or even Umno assemblymen could pass a vote of no-confidence against Ahmad.
“This scenario has happened several times before in Sarawak, Selangor and Kelantan in the 1960s and 1970s, where the Chief Ministers or Mentris Besar were either voted out of office or replaced,” he said.
The office of the Sultan of Terengganu announced Saturday that Ahmad would be the new Mentri Besar of Terengganu instead of Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh.
Idris was the choice of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as well as the majority of state assemblymen, but 51-year-old Ahmad had the support of seven of the eight Umno division leaders in the state who lobbied for his appointment at the last moment.
Ahmad was given his letter of appointment at 8.30am Sunday, but palace officials have fixed an indefinite date for the swearing-in ceremony, which was widely expected Sunday as well.
He was stripped of his Umno membership for disobeying the party leadership.
Prof Shad said that Ahmad could go to the courts and claim that his expulsion and removal as Mentri Besar were against "natural justice."
"Umno can also go to court on the basis that his appointment had gone against the Terengganu Constitution," he said.
Ahmad has two choices, Prof Shad added: He step down and let the Regency Advisory Council appoint a new Mentri Besar, or he could dissolve the state assembly.
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