PUTRAJAYA, JUNE 19- Lawyer and DAP member of parliament M Kulasegaran today filed a petition at the High Court seeking to nullify the appointment of two Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department and three deputy ministers.
Kulasegaran’s judicial review application challenges the legality of the appointments on grounds that the five were appointed as ministers and deputy ministers even before they were sworn in as senators.
The two ministers are former Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) president and CEO Abdul Wahid Omar and former Transparency International Malaysia president Paul Low.
The Ipoh Barat MP also sought to nullify the appointments of P Waythamoorthy, Dr J Loga Bala Mohan and Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah as deputy ministers.
Speaking to newsmen after filing the papers at the court registry this morning, Kulasegaran contended that the five appointments were unlawful and unconstitutional.
The Federal Constitution, he said, states that a minister or deputy minister has to be an elected representative to the Dewan Rakyat or sworn in as a member of the Dewan Negara.
The five were sworn in as senators on June 6 although their appointment as ministers and deputy ministers was announced by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on May 15.
Apart from this, Kulasegaran is also asking the court to order the five to return all emoluments and privileges enjoyed since their appointments.
The DAP man also wants the court to declare null and void all policy actions announced or carried out by the five.
The five are part of Najib’s new Cabinet after the 13th general election. They did not contest in the polls but were roped into the cabinet.
Wahid is entrusted to oversee the Economic Planning Unit while Low has been tasked with the integrity portfolio.
Waythamoorthy, a former Hindraf activist, meanwhile is a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Indian affairs.
Loga Bala is Deputy Minister of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing while Ahmad Bashah is Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism.
