SEREMBAN, March 26- The Negeri Sembilan State Assembly will automatically dissolve on March 28, that is on Thursday, and not tomorrow as reported earlier, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan(Pic). He said earlier there had been confusion on the proceeding of the assembly according to the Negeri Sembilan state constitution under Clause 56 (3), which states that the state assembly will run for five years from the date of the first meeting.
“The problem is determining the beginning and termination of five year period. So in this case, we use the Intepretation Act 1948 and 1967 (Act 388).
“The act under Section 54 (1) states that in computing time for the purposes of any written law (a) a period of days from the happening of any event or the doing of any act or thing shall be deemed to be exclusive of the day on which the event happens or the act or thing is done.
“This meant that when we count the time or date for the commencement of when in this act, the actual day of event is not taken as the beginning but the next day,” he told a media conference at his residence here today.
He said the day the house representatives took their oaths on March 27, 2008 was not the first day of of the assembly’s proceeding but the following day on March 28, 2008.
“So at 12 midnight on March 27 2013, the assembly is exactly five years old and the house is dissolved on March 28 2013 and a caretaker government would be appointed.
“So if the Yang Dipertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir wishes to dissolve the state assembly based on the Negeri Founding Laws, the last day is March 27,” he said.
Meanwhile, at a separate function, Mohamad said Barisan Nasional component parties in the state will maintain the status quo in the distribution of seats for the 13th general election. Mohamad, who is also State Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said the matter had been agreed upon by all BN component party leaders after a discussion with BN president Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak and deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, recently.
“Our focus now is to ensure victory for BN in the general election,” he told a media conference after attending a presentation of Loans and Zakat Assistance to Middle East-bound students for the second session of 2012/2013 and presentation of assistance to federal government and state government aided religious schools here today.
BERNAMA
