Several bloggers are claiming that Perak assembly speaker V Sivakumar was under the control of two senior DAP assemblypersons during house proceedings, based on purported electronic communications between the trio.

The purported electronic communications was reproduced in eight documents published on the Ruang Bicara Faisal blog on April 18, in what appears to be a transcript of computer instant messaging activities which transpired during the June 2008 sitting of the assembly.

ngeh koo ham and perak The transcript allegedly portrays Setiawan state representative Ngeh Koo Ham ( left ) and Pantai Remis state representative Nga Kor Ming - both are senior lawyers - providing extensive instructions to Sivakumar on house conduct.

Among others, the purported documents detailed how Nga repeatedly cued statements for Sivakumar as well as providing him instructions to “control” Barisan Nasional state assemblypersons and turning off their microphones.

nizar banned from enter office 100209 nga kor ming The most contentious statement, highlighted by the blog, was an apparent threat by Nga ( right ) to remove Sivakumar if he failed to control the assembly proceedings.

The documents involving Ngeh and Sivakumar portrayed the latter, a first-time assemblyperson, consulting the former over procedural matters. Ngeh is a two-term assemblyperson and was then the senior member of the state cabinet.

This has generated reactions from at least three other blogs who, among others, have accused Sivakumar of being Ngeh and Nga’s “puppet”.

Leaked by speaker’s relative?

The Ruang Bicara Faisal blog owner wrote that the purported documents were obtained from one “Mr Krishna” in Taiping during the course of the Bukit Gantang by-election campaign.

perak speaker sivakumar 180409 According to another post in the same blog, “Mr Krishna” is a relative of Sivakumar who is upset over the speaker’s alleged subservience to Ngeh and Nga, who are cousins.

Contacted for reactions, Nga said the instant messaging system was installed by the previous BN administration and it was used for intra-Pakatan Rakyat communication.

“This allows us to work as a team. The speaker can instruct us and vice-versa,” said Nga, while denying that he had used the system to threaten Sivakumar in any way.

He said that the system was meant to provide privileged communications and those who leaked the documents were unethical. Nga had not seen the documents when he was contacted.

Nga, who has held the Pantai Remis seat since 1999, was a combative two-term opposition leader until 2008.

‘Authenticity in doubt’

Meanwhile, Ngeh expressed doubt over the veracity of the documents after it was shown to him, citing 11 instances where sentences in the documents were “tampered” and replaced with gibberish.

“Why was lines that I said to speaker deleted? Is it because it was very good?” he said, adding that he cannot remember if the legible portions of the documents accurately reflected his communications with Sivakumar back then.

Ngeh explained that the devices used to send and receive the messages were not secured and anyone with access to the state assembly could easily access and tamper with the files.

“The speaker’s computer is not secured at all. It is a very simple device without any password. It may not (really) be from me, anyone could have used the computers,” he said.

On the blogger’s allegations that he and Nga were the “puppetmasters” behind Sivakumar, Ngeh said that their political enemies are trying to create an image that the “Ngeh-Nga” duo were trying to control then Menteri Besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin and now the speaker.

“The speaker is subject to no man except the law... He has been outstanding and he has withstood pressure from the BN bench,” he said.

Related to May 7 sitting?

Ngeh also warns that the leaking of the documents could be in violation of Section 10 of the Legislative Assembly (Privileges) Enactment 1959 which bars any person from publishing assembly documents without permission.

The timing over this revelation will no doubt raise eyebrows as Sivakumar is expected to chair the May 7 assembly sitting , with both BN and Pakatan switching sides in the assembly.

The first thing on BN’s agenda is believed to be the removal of Sivakumar as speaker as he had shown hostility towards BN after the coalition toppled the Pakatan state government through defections.

Secondly, with Sivakumar out of the way, BN is expected to table a vote of confidence on Zambry Abd Kadir as menteri besar, thereby legitimising the new state government.

Sivakumar has been the thorn in BN’s flesh since the February takeover.

Days after the takeover, the Special Privileges Committee, which Sivakumar chairs, suspended Zambry and six of his state executive council members from attending the state assembly.

However, the suspension was lifted by the Federal Court on April 16.