IPOH, April 30 – Despite threatening a boycott, all 28 Perak Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen will attend the much-anticipated assembly sitting on May 7.

However, they will do so “under protest” for notification on the assembly had been done without the knowledge of Speaker V. Sivakumar.

In making the announcement earlier today, Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, who still maintains he is the rightful mentri besar, said the assemblymen would attend the session out of respect for Sivakumar.

“We will attend the assembly and honour all the decisions made by the Speaker. After all, he is still the legitimate Speaker of the House,” he told a press conference after attending a briefing with the state’s recently terminated 817 village chiefs.

Despite their decision to attend however, it is clear the PR representatives have no plans to be active participants in the assembly.

Nizar said that they had not submitted any questions to the House, to be fielded to the Barisan Nasional government during the assembly’s question and answer session.

“We have no questions for them because they are not the government – we do not recognise them as the legal government,” he said.

PR representatives have also chosen to ignore a recent notice sent to them by assembly secretary Abdullah Antong Sabri, directing them to choose a candidate to replace Sivakumar as Speaker.

“Sivakumar is still the rightful Speaker so no, we will not respond to that notice,” he said.

In the notice, Abdullah Antong had informed all state elected representatives of a motion to remove the Speaker from office filed by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.

He also stated that in view of the possibility that the motion is passed successfully, all assemblymen were required to submit the name of a candidate to replace the Speaker by today.

Nizar however remained unfazed by the existence of such a motion and said that Sivakumar reserved the right to reject it.

“Anyone has the right to submit a motion. Any assemblyman can exercise that right.

“However, the Speaker’s decision on whether to allow that motion or to keep in a file somewhere, is final,” he said.

Meanwhile, no changes have been made as yet to the seating arrangement for assemblymen in the House.

Nizar said that to date, the status quo stood, with PR on the right side of the Speaker, where the government of the day sits.

“It is the Speaker’s prerogative to relocate us. We will abide by his wishes,” he said.

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