DAP law expert: Forming Perak govt a political issue

IPOH: Forming the state government in Perak is more a political issue than a constitutional one, says DAP’s constitutional law expert Dr Abdul Aziz Bari.

Abdul Aziz, who won the Tebing Tinggi state seat, said it was not for him to make a statement on the matter.

Pressed for answers on whether or not the constitution in Perak required parties to win a simple majority of 30 seats out of 59 to form the state government, Abdul Aziz said it was a purely political matter, and so he was not in a position to answer.

“It is only right that such questions are directed to the state Pakatan Harapan chairman, and that’s not me,” he said yesterday.

Pakatan won 29 seats while Barisan Nasional won 27 and PAS three.

In Tebing Tinggi, which is under the Ipoh Timur parliamentary constituency, Abdul Aziz garnered 10,334 votes against MCA’s Tony Khoo Boon Chuan with 6,407 and PAS’ Mazlan Isa with 3,391.

Abdul Aziz had called the press conference to give his views as an expert on the forming of the state government and the appointment of the prime minister.

On Perak, Abdul Aziz said while the new state government had not yet been formed, it remains that Pakatan won the most seats in the state.

In a press conference yesterday, the state Pakatan Harapan had said the coalition hoped to get the Sultan of Perak’s consent to form the state government.

Its state chairman Ahmad Faizal Azumu had said that after winning 29 seats, the coalition would seek advice from the Sultan on the matter.