Nizar finds his office emptied - Star

Feb 6, 2009 By TEH ENG HOCK and IVAN LOH

IPOH: All of Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin’s belongings, including personal items and official documents, have been removed from the Mentri Besar’s office.

Nizar arrived at the State Secretariat building at 9.50am in his official car but was not allowed in until he stepped out to ask the security guards for permission.

When he arrived at his office, he was surprised to see that his cabinets and drawers had been emptied, with photos on the walls removed as well.

He said all the items had been taken away under the instruction of State Secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Hashim.

He described that his office as having been “ransacked”, without even a notice of eviction served on him.

“There’s nothing left, I had all my personal belongings in the drawer but have all have been taken away,” said Nizar at the Mentri Besar’s office on Friday.

“I don’t know where they kept my belongings but I believe they have kept them safely,” he added.

Nizar spoke briefly to pressmen in the room, stressing that the Pakatan Rakyat government was still the legal administration in Perak.

“At the state assembly, if there is a vote of no confidence on me then I will tender my resignation. That process must be adhered to,” he said.

He said he would continue with his daily duties, including contacting some of consultants and potential investors to postpone appointments that had been set earlier.

“I ask the people to remain calm. We are living in a world of law so the law supersedes,” he said.

Asked what would happen if new Mentri Besar Datuk Zambry Abd Kadir moved into the office Friday, Nizar said: “I will probably share the room with him. It’s better to have a ship with two captains isn’t it?”

The press conference was cut short by Abdul Rahman, who ordered reporters to leave the building at 10.10am.

His words fell on deaf ears, prompting Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Azisman Alias to step in with his officers to escort Nizar, his aides, executive council members, and the media out.

But the situation quickly turned into a cat-and-mouse game between the police and the media, as reporters scattered into the rooms of other exco members instead of leaving the building.

ACP Azisman and his men had to go from room to room to constantly remind and escort the 50-odd pressmen out of the building.

At about 10.40am, Nizar was seen leaving the building in the official Mentri Besar’s car.