Perak state assembly speaker V Sivakumar said that he had received letters of resignation from both Behrang assemblyperson Jamaluddin Mat Radzi and Changkat Jering assemblyperson Osman Jailu.
He said that he received their letters at about 5.45pm at his house.
"They have stepped down as state assemblypersons with immediate effect," he said in a statement today.
With that, Sivakumar declared both the Behrang and Chankat Jering state seats vacant, necessitating two by-elections soon.
He added that he will be informing the Election Commission tomorrow about the vacancy. The by-elections for the two state seats will have to be held within 60 days.
Sivakumar did not say how he received the letters.
The two PKR state representatives have been missing for the past five days, prompting speculations that they have defected to Barisan Nasional.
Jamaluddin, 52, is the Perak Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Committee chairman while Osman, 57, heads the State Tourism and NGO Committee.
They were charged in a Sessions Court on Aug 25 last year with allegedly receiving bribes over the application for a RM180 million housing project in Sri Iskandar in Perak Tengah. Their case comes up for hearing on Feb 10.
Jamaluddin: I have not resigned
However the announcement of the resignations by the speaker is disputed, at least by Jamaluddin, who broke his five-day silence late this evening.
According to a report in The Star Online, Jamaluddin is reported as denying that he had resigned as a state representative. He also challenged the validity of his resignation letter.
"This is an undated letter that I and six other PKR assemblymen were made to sign in March last year," he said.
He said that the letter was only a pledge of loyalty, stating that if they (the state representative) were to ever quit PKR, they would automatically vacate their seats.
He added that the letter was signed under duress and that he would be discussing the legality of it with his lawyers.
"I am still Behrang assemblyman," Jamaluddin was quoted as saying.
"Osman and I are still PKR state representatives and have never declared our intentions to leave the party or to become independents, or to join Umno," he said, according to a Bernama report.
But in the Star report, Jamaluddin was quoted as saying that he would be quitting PKR to become an independent.
"My problems are with PKR leaders, not with the people of Behrang. I will not simply shirk my responsibilities to them," he said.
This is the first time he has expressed his situation ever since he was reported missing for the past five days, amids speculations of both of them joining BN.
The crucial point is whether the duo had indeed resigned as state assemblypersons, which will immediately trigger by-elections in their two seats.
Jamaluddin also said that he had been on medical leave since Wednesday.
"The MC is in my office. I have not been missing," he said. He however refused to reveal his whereabouts during his ‘missing' period.
Emergency meeting at MB's residence
Meanwhile it is learnt that all the Pakatan state representatives have gathered at Menteri Besar Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin's official residence in Ipoh for an emergency meeting.
Pakatan Rakyat currently holds 32 state seats against Barisan's 27 in the 59-seat State Assembly.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi confirmed that some Pakatan state assemblypersons were on the verge of joining BN.
He however did not reveal the identities of the defecting politicians - malaysiakini.com
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