DAP Chairman Lim Kit Siang said today he would consult two former Lord Presidents, Tun Suffian and Tun Salleh Abas, to determine whether to take legal action to challenge the legality and constitutionality of this week's sitting of the 10 th Parliament.

Lim said that the two former judges would be part of an extensive consultation with a wide range of groups including member parties of Barisan Alternatif, legal academicians, constitutional experts and NGOs.

"I will begin the widest possible consultation, starting with two former Lord Presidents, Tun Suffian and Tun Salleh Abas, early next year," he said.

Lim added that the party's legal committee, headed by former DAP MP and lawyer Karpal Singh, would conduct studies on the legality of all the bills and motions passed by the Parliament as well as ministers and MPs arising from the unlawful oath-taking on Dec 20.

On Monday, Opposition MPs staged a walkout on Monday to protest against the "statutory rape" of the Constitution and the "utter contempt" shown by Barisan Nasional to Parliament and the Agong. They argued that the Parliament session was summoned without the requisite minimum 14 days as stipulated in the Constitution.

However, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said as caretaker prime minister, he had the powers to advise the Agong to convene the new Parliament. But according to Lim, Mahathir had usurped the powers of the yet-to-be-formed Cabinet.

"A responsible caretaker government cannot initiate new programmes or launch new projects, let alone take new policy decisions in the name of the government or it will be trespassing on the powers and duties of the new government to be formed," he said.

Adding that all laws passed by Parliament deemed not in accordance with the Constitution were null and void, Lim said that every law enacted by such an unconstitutionally-convened Parliament was open to legal challenge as to its legality.

He added that according to the Malaysian Constitution, the seat of an MP who does not take his oath of office within six months "from the date on which the House first sits after his election" would become vacant and a by-election would have to be held to fill the vacancy.

"If the oath-taking by the MPs in an unconstitutionally-convened Parliament is null and void, then we are looking at the prospect of all ministers and MPs having not taking their proper oath of office, developing into a situation where all their parliamentary seats would be deemed vacant with by-elections having to be held for all the seats," Lim said.

Lim also expressed his regret that the Attorney General Mohtar Abdullah had declined to respond to the party's calls to explain why he allowed the BN government to plunge the country into such a constitutional chasm and placing at risk the legality of all laws and motions passed by the 10 th

Parliament.