Perak Menteri Besar Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir today challenged ousted menteri besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin and 27 other opposition assemblymen to vacate their seats for by-elections to be held in the opposition-held state seats.

He said they should not hesitate to vacate their seats if they were really confident that most of the people in Perak supported the opposition.

"If they feel they are really popular now, then vacate the 28 seats. Let's see whether they can get back their seats or not," he told reporters after being interviewed on the occasion of his one year in office since helming the state's administration, at the Perak FM radio studio, in Ipoh, today.

He was responding to Mohammad Nizar's statement that he would seek the consent of the Perak Sultan, Sultan Azlan Shah, to dissolve the state legislative assembly if the Federal Court decides on Feb 9 that he (Mohammad Nizar) is the legitimate Perak Menteri Besar.

Zambry said the Perak Barisan Nasional (BN) government would not dissolve the state assembly to enable a state election to be held as demanded by the opposition.

"Dissolving the state assembly is the opposition's game. I will not play their game. It's not because I'm afraid but I just don't want to follow their tune," he said.

Earlier, in the radio interview, Zambry said the main focus of the state government led by him was on developing the economy and bringing prosperity to Perak and not to drag the state into the opposition's never-ending political game.

"The moment we took over the state government, I stated that we could not go on politicking as the people expected something from us. There are times when the people want to focus on more important things, particularly in the context of the state's economic development."

Zambry who was appointed the state's 11th menteri besar on Feb 6 last year, replacing Mohammad Nizar, was confident that the multiracial support for BN in Perak would continue to rise despite the opposition's political games.

"I believe the people will not all be taken in by the opposition's tactics, and with good economic development, effective poverty-eradication programmes and peace, I think in the end the people will be with us... on the condition that we too work hard," he said.

- Bernama