Perak political capers via Malaysiakini

This story must be told from the prism of Malaysiakini reports.

Advantage, UMNO-BN
First, it was advantage to UMNO and BN. Malaysiakini reported Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's announcement that two PKR reps in Perak were joining UMNO-BN.

It appears that Behrang assemblyman Jamaluddin Mat Radzi, the Perak EXCO for Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Committee wishes to defect from PKR to UMNO. Likewise, the Changkat Jering assemblyman Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu, the EXCO for State Tourism and NGO Committee also wishes to do so.

Deuce, PKR-PR
Then, a return volley from PKR.

These two men appear to have signed undated resignation letters soon after the March 8 General Elections. This Malaysiakini report shows that Ngeh of DAP-Pakatan says the letters are valid. Malaysiakini also reports that the duo denies its validity.

Enter Election Commission?
The two resignation letters somehow found their way to the Perak State Assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar who (as reported in Malaysiakini) announced that both men had resigned and, later met with the state Election Commission director Ahmad Adli Abdullah at 8am on Monday and, officially submitted the “resignation letters” of the two assemblymen so that by-elections can be called for the two seats within 60 days.

Enter, legal barracudas?
Jamaludin has used the word "duress". This is a loaded legal expression. It means that the whole episode will end up in court.

But, don't hold your breath. The judicial process may turn out to be academic unless...

Unless, UMNO and BN legal eagles stand ready to get an injunction to prevent the Election Commission from proceeding with the by-elections. According to Malaysiakini Anwar Ibrahim is preparing for by-elections.

State constitutional crisis?
This will create a Perak state constitutional crisis on whether the two men are able to continue to serve as state assemblymen.

Dissolution option
That is why a scenario being canvassed by PKR (do DAP and PAS agree?) is whether the Perak State Assembly should be dissolved. Or, is it a scenario perpetrated by UMNO?

The most awful scenario
Perhaps the most awful scenario is the allegation made by PKR Ipoh Barat division head Fauzi Muda who, according to Malaysiakini, leveled the damning claim that Umno deputy president Najib Abdul Razak had tried last year to induce him to secure the crossover of two Pakatan Rakyat representatives in Perak.

MCPX

Fauzi said he had been offered a total of RM50 million for his services and to pay off those he managed to convince, but that he had remained non-committal.

While conceding that he has no concrete evidence to back his allegation, he nonetheless dared Najib - also the deputy premier and deputy head of ruling coalition Barisan Nasional - to deny the claim.

Read his Statutory Declaration here.
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So, having made a cursory examination of all of the above, Malaysians will have to wonder how in Heaven's name does ANYONE have the bloody time to deal with economic management?

This time around the caper appears to have been started by BN-UMNO.

Tits with tats
I tend to share the view taken by Sakmongkol about this tit-for-tat caper and I can do no better can to quote him:

What UMNO shows is that, it is no different from Anwar Ibrahim in terms of values that it has. Despite its trumpeted remonstrations and pompous righteousness against party hopping, when push comes to shove, our acceptance of the two renegade PKR man proves that we are as opportunistic as Anwar Ibrahim. But then Anwar Ibrahim is just the other side of the coin, No? Of course we will rationalise our behaviour as pragmatism and doing what any ordinary party will do.