Selangor fixes crucial state assembly sitting on Jan 24

Speaker of the Selangor state assembly Teng Chang Khim has fixed Jan 24 to table motions seeking to amend the state constitution giving the right of appointment of the state secretary, financial officer and legal aviser back to the Sultan and Mentri Besar.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Teng said he had instructed the state legislative assembly secretary to dispatch letters to all state assemblypersons informing them of the sitting.

According to the DAP leader, who is known for his fastidious habits and his famour 'OMG' tweet, the sitting was called only after Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim explained that the sitting was essential because it affected public interest.

The move to amend the constitution came about after the federal government insisted on appointing former state relighious head Khusrin Munawi as the state secretary despite strong objected from the Pakatan state government.

The power to appoint Selangor's top three covil servants was removed from the Mentri Besar and Sultan in 1993 by the BN federal governmenmt which wanted to consolidate its hold on the country's richest state.

Khusrin was appointed by the federal Public Service Commission (PSC) but Khalid's administration maintains that the appointment was unfair because the state government was not consulted.

Meanwhile, Chief secretary to the federal government Mohd Sidek Hassan has insisted that the appointment cannot be disputed nor can it be vetoed by the sultan. He confirmed that the shortlist of candidates was presented to the Palace was for "courtesy".

But that has not deterred Khalid and his team, who are fighting the issue on a matter of principle. Pakatan is three seats short of a two-thirds majority required to hammer through the amendments. It holds 35 seats in the 56-seat assembly. BN has 20, while one is an Independent. - Malaysia Chronicle