Hundreds gathered at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya today, awaiting with bated breath for the outcome of the MB versus MB case at the Federal Court.

                                

NONE Four busloads of Perak Barisan Nasional supporters, mobilised by Umno Youth, had camped on the steps of the courthouse as early as 8am, after arriving from their home state at dawn.

The supporters, some in their teens, sported yellow T-shirts with the words ‘ Daulat Tuanku ’.

"We may not be old enough to vote, but nothing can stop us from coming (here to show our support)," said one 19-year-old supporter to Malaysiakini , before he was hushed by fellow supporters.

NONE With their trendy hairstyles, jeans and aviator sunglasses, the youthful, mostly Malay BN crowd starkly contrasted the Pakatan Rakyat lot, who were multiracial and older.

On the Pakatan side, things were a little less organised. Most supporters came on their own, with some having drove all the way from Perak.

Ipoh resident Ali Othman Shah said he had taken leave from work because the ousting of Pakatan menteri besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin had infringed on his rights as a citizen.

NONE Some supporters came with their children in tow, clad in t-shirts printed with the words ‘Bubar Dun ’ (Dissolve the assembly), ‘ Hormati hak rakyat Perak ’ (Respect the rights of the Perak people) and ‘Nizar is my MB’.

The quiet crowd erupted into a frenzy when Nizar arrived with his wife and son. They started chanting ‘ Allahuakbhar ’ (God is great), ‘ Reformasi’ and ‘ Hidup Rakyat ’ (Long live the people).

The supporters, numbering around 200, grew rowdier and trampled on the police cordon line when Nizar's son and several Pakatan state assemblypersons were barred from entering the building.

According to state assemblyperson Chang Lih Kang, who had come out of the building to greet Nizar, the police had shoved them and told them there was no more room inside the court.

Of prayers and forty winks

Not to be outdone, the boys in yellow belted out ' Daulat Tuanku ' and started singing ' Inilah Barisan Kita '.

Some 20 metres away, an unperturbed group of Pakatan supporters performed the solat hajat. (special prayers).

The police then cleared the steps and relegated both camps onto opposite sides of the square.

NONE Complying with the orders, BN supporters loudly proclaimed that they are "loyal citizens who follow instructions".

Having spent the night in the bus, the BN supporters used the hour-long wait for the judgment to get some shuteye, ignoring calls by their leaders to get up to show support for "our  Zambry (Abd Kadir)".

But they were roused from their slumber when BN lawyers strutted out of the building with their arms raised.

As the BN crowd broke into a flurry of ‘ Daulat Tuanku ’, popular blogger che'GuBard led the now fiery Pakatan in belting out shouts of ' Zambry penakut ' (Zambry is a coward), ' rasuah ' (corruption) and ' tipu ' (lies).

Undeterred, the BN supporters also started reading the Rukunegara before mobbing and hugging lawyer Mohd Hafarizam Harun.

"The case for me was very clear cut…a vote of confidence does not have to be made in the state assembly. This will set a precedent for the country," the BN lawyer told reporters.

‘Gov’t is chosen by the people, not court’

Contrasting the ongoing cries of foul play by Pakatan supporters, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Razali Ibrahim told reporters that the judgment was a win for the judiciary.  

"The judiciary has been under a lot of fire lately. I am thankful for this decision as these are institutions that we need to protect," he said.

 

NONE The vexed Pakatan supporters started to chant ‘ Reformas i’ again when Nizar stepped out.

"Today is a sad day because 80 percent of the people in Perak want the state assembly to be dissolved…but we respect the decision,” said the ousted menteri besar.

“A government is chosen by the people and not the court, so if Zambry is very confident of the people's support then I challenge him to dissolve the state assembly," he added.