MIC Youth: Karpal Erred in Law

[savign...@gmail.com]

Source : Malaysiakini.com
May 10, 08 6:41pm

DAP chairperson Karpal Singh had erred in law by citing a case that
was unrelated to Islam and using it to criticise the Perak Sultan for
‘interfering’ with the transfer of Perak Religious Department director
Jamry Sury.

MIC Youth chief S Vigneswaran said Karpal had cited Federal Territory
Education Director and Others vs Loot Ting Yee (1982) which had
nothing to do with Islamic affairs and was thus unrelated to Jamry’s
case.

“How can Karpal, a distinguished lawyer of senior standing give
example of an Education Department staff in a secular dispute with the
case of Jamry which is directly within the scope of the religious
department under the Sultan,” said Vigneswaran in a statement today.

Vigneswaran stressed that any matters pertaining to Islamic affairs,
Islamic bodies or agencies, including the appointment and transfers of
officers or staff involved in such bodies is the prerogative of the
sultan.

He claimed that Karpal had infringed the rights of the monarch as
enshrined in Article 3 (2) of Part I of the Federal Constitution which
reads:

“In every State other than States not having a Ruler the position of
the Ruler as the Head of the religion of Islam in his State in the
manner and to the extent acknowledged and declared by the
Constitution, all rights, privileges, prerogatives and powers enjoyed
by him as Head of that religion, are unaffected and unimpaired…”

Cheap publicity

Karpal had been the lone voice criticising the Perak Sultan for
ordering Perak Menteri Besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin to reinstate Jamry
after an initial transfer order.

A veteran lawyer and Bukit Gelugor parliamentarian, Karpal on Monday
said that the matter was purely a matter of the executive exercising
their right over civil servants and the royalty should not have
interfered.

Following this, numerous police reports had been lodged against Karpal
for allegedly breaching sedition laws and insulting the sultan.

Vigneswaran said Karpal’s statement was a move to create cheap
publicity and challenged Pakatan Rakyat coalition to state their stand
on the matter.

Read more: www.savigneswaran.com/blog