Much ink, most of it negative, has been spilled over the events that transpired in the Perak state assembly last Thursday. But the optimist in me always tries to see the silver lining shining through the dark clouds.

And the silver lining is this – the current political crisis in Perak is good for Malaysia because it emphasises the importance of the role of (1) procedures (2) institutions (3) people in our political system.

Firstly, the manner in which Barisan Nasional attempted to topple the Pakatan Rakyat state government in Perak raised all sorts of procedural questions as to whether something like that can be undertaken ‘constitutionally’.

Is it sufficient for BN to demonstrate to the sultan that they have the ‘support’ of a few Pakatan crossovers without calling for a motion of no confidence in the state legislature? Should the sultan have acceded to Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin’s request for the state assembly to be dissolved given that he not been ‘replaced’ in his capacity as menteri besar? Could a motion of no confidence be tabled at the state assembly if the speaker of the legislature is from Pakatan?