Absolute Power corrupts absolutely!!!

It seems that Datuk Seri Nizar is getting it, with some help of the legal kind. He must have done, for him to retract his earlier remarks about PR's so called 'no-confidence motion' against Datuk Zambry and re-dress it as a 'motion of confidence' in him.

This is crucial as you can only table a no-confidence vote against a recognized sitting government and duly appointed state executive. Datuk Seri Nizar's clever retraction of his earlier remarks is an attempt to re-spin what PR is going to do in the much talked about next sitting of the Perak DUN, in the legal sense.

The fact that he vacated the MB's residence in response to a letter ordering the move from the State Secretary may also need a re-spin, because, out of respect or not, he may have set a legal precedent by acquiescing to an order from an agent of the new BN regime.

Complying with an order means recognizing its authority. Similar perhaps to a case of squatter's rights. Possession, as they say, is nine tenths of the law. This, however, may require something more than any layman legal opinion to bear any weight.

As for BN, they have already shipped their case to London to be referred to a Queen's Council for some legal advice to the dicey Perak story, as is being reported by the media recently.

But getting legal advice is not the only thing that PR is doing that is similar to BN. It would seem that PR is also getting savvy in underhanded methods and questionable means. Using whatever they can to get whatever they want, just like big brother BN.

What I am talking about is the actions of Perak Speaker and his Machiavellian machinations which see Datuk Zambry and six other BN assemblymen suspended from the Perak DUN and barred from attending its sitting.

This move has even been called into question by DAP Chairman and respected lawyer Karpal Singh and condemned by other Speakers of the house, that aired their reactions to his shenanigans in the media.

While it is recognized that as Speaker, V. Sivakumar's ruling on the matter is final as is stated in article 89 of Standing Orders, any recommendations by the Rights and Privileges Committee must first be brought before the Perak DUN before any ruling is passed as governed by Article 72 of same.

Any premature ruling may be a tad too hasty for the Speaker and indeed may even be against the abovementioned Article 72.

Though if you look at what PR intends to in the next Perak Dun sitting, it all comes to light. This is another adroit political power play that is toe to toe with BN's earlier coup de grace.

Like BN's earlier sweep of removing 3 ADUNs from PR and swaying the independents of the DUN hence bringing down Datuk Nizar's fragile majority, PR has in one fell swoop removed any hope whatsoever for BN to counter any move they make in Perak's State Legislative Assembly.

Bravo! Bravo! PR has beaten big brother in their own little game.

One has to admire the mind behind such a cool and calculated move, though many would probably wonder if they have voted in another monster, not unlike the BN that they booted out, into their constituency.

This may be the cause of the schism in current PR leadership, those who look to legalities to redress a perceived wrong like Karpal Singh on one side and those who seek to gain advantages via manipulating legalities and standing orders on the other.

Partisan politics aside, it is not beyond the realm of thought for any of us to put two and two together and figure this one out. The Zambry suspension? Nizar's vote of confidence motion? It is all too convenient and certainly not a coincidence.

Some say that BN is practising dirty politics and using the Monarchy and Royal privilege for their own ends, but so is PR using the Speaker's so called 'immunity' and Standing Orders to pursue their own ends as well.

If BN is inherently dirty and practices dirty politics, then PR too is now tainted and as sullied as BN, as proven by this game that they have so deftly picked up after only one year or so in power.

More so this underhanded move, this seeming disrespect of the Royals and this willingness to exercise carte blanche to get whatever they want is coming from a coalition that claims to be exactly the opposite of just that.

It is just weeks ago that PR claims BN is strong-arming its influence on the Sultan and denying the democratic process by stalling attempts to trigger snap polls.

But now PR itself may be seen as denying the soul of the democratic process by using its own strong-arm tactics to tip the scales of the DUN in their favour through the suspensions of the Datuk Zambry and his excos.

It does not matter whether as Datuk Seri Nizar is quoted by the press as saying, that BN is "running scared" or not. What matters is the coalition that once rode on the high horse is now playing around in the same muck.

As the saying goes, "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". In this case maybe the saying runs true