INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC

S'gor govt to pursue constitution amendment

Published: Monday January 10, 2011 MYT 5:02:00 PM
Updated: Monday January 10, 2011 MYT 5:03:08 PM

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor state government will go ahead with the planned state assembly sitting at the end of this month to amend its state constitution, despite facing the possibility of not securing a two-thirds majority to get the amendment through.

Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the state government had appointed International Islamic University lecturer Prof Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz Bari and lawyer Datuk Param Cumaraswamy to prepare the draft for the amendment to Section 52 of the state constitution.

"It will be good if you wait (until the sitting convenes)," he told reporters here Monday.

Khalid was asked why the state government was going ahead with the sitting knowing that it did not have the majority required to pass an amendment to the constitution.

The Pakatan Rakyat government has 35 seats in the 56-seat assembly while Barisan Nasional has 20. The remaining seat is held by an independent assemblyman.

The state government needs the support of at least 37 assembly members to secure a two-thirds majority.

Abdul Khalid said Param and Abdul Aziz had recommended that the matter not be discussed in public until it was tabled at the state assembly.

Asked whether the proposed amendment would be presented to the Selangor Sultan, Khalid it would depend on the recommendations of the lawyers involved.

He said the amendment was to give powers to the Sultan and Mentri Besar in the appointment of the state's top three civil servants, namely the state secretary, state financial officer and state legal advisor. - Bernama