KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 ― Several Perak DAP lawmakers said today the best way to resolve Terengganu’s political crisis would be to go for fresh elections, much like they had demanded in 2009 when the northern state faced a similar impasse.

They said the final decision on who should rule in Terengganu should lie in the hands of the state electorate.

“Let the people decide on how to form the government. The people can decide on the legitimacy of the government,” said Ipoh Timur MP Thomas Su Keong Siong.

Beruas MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham echoed Su’s view that the crisis in Terengganu is almost similar to what transpired in Perak in 2009.

Ngeh, who was Perak DAP chairman during the 2009 constitutional impasse, said Terengganu should go for a dissolution and allow “the people decide through the election”.

“Just to say, must respect the views of the people,” Ngeh said. “Nobody should determine who to leave the state but the people. Individuals like Ahmad Said have personal agenda. He is not planning for the people but himself.”

Ngeh is referring to former Terengganu mentri besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said who started the exodus from Umno in the east coast state yesterday when he quit the party shortly after stepping down as mentri besar.

The second-term mentri besar’s resignation was followed by Ajil assemblyman Ghazali Taib, who joined the former to be an independent representative.

This morning, Bukit Besi assemblyman Roslee Daud followed suit, leaving BN with just 14 seats to the opposition’s 15 seat in the 32-seat assembly.

DAP’s Batu Gajah MP V. Sivakumar and Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming agreed the turmoil in Terengganu was similar to the Perak crisis in 2009, and both suggested the introduction of anti-hopping laws to prevent future defections.

Sivakumar, who was the Perak assembly Speaker at the height of the crisis, said BN should learn from this “bitter lesson”.

“The world is watching,” Sivakumar said. “Either way it is going to be a double-edged sword for BN.

“Hope BN will learn from this bitter lesson and propose anti-hopping law immediately.”

Nga said the he had repeatedly proposed for such a law to protect “democracy” but his proposal had fallen on deaf ears.

“When Parliament resumes on June 9, the government should table a Bill to enact the new law and this will avoid similar crises happen in the future,” he said.

In 2009, Perak Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lost control of the state when three of its assemblymen defected to become BN-friendly independents.

A year-long constitutional crisis ensued, resulting in a mountain of lawsuits and violent stand-offs between the police and PR lawmakers as they tried to wrest back control of the northern state.

But with the support of 31 assemblymen in the 59-seat assembly ― three more than PR’s 28 ― BN continued their rule until last year.

In Election 2013, BN emerged victorious in Perak with 31 seats, holding a three-seat majority again to PR’s 28 seats.