KUCHING, June 17 ― Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian said today his party respects the High Court's ruling in reinstating DAP's Dr Ting Tiong Choon as the state assemblyman for Pujut with immediate effect today.

“But let's get going and serve the people as this is what we in the Barisan Nasional are elected to do so,” the Local Government and Housing Minister said today.

Sarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian said judge Datuk Douglas Primus Sikayun, in his judgment, has made a clear and strong ruling on the law that the Sarawak state legislative assembly has no expressed powers to deal with an election result.

“Obviously, if the sacking of Dr Ting by the state legislative assembly had been allowed to remain, in the Malaysian context, an assemblyman or a parliamentarian in the minority would have no chance of seeing justice served in such a politically motivated scenario,” the Ba'Kelalan state assemblyman said.

Meanwhile, Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen blamed the house Speaker Datuk Amar Asfia Awang Nassar for creating the “mess” in the state legislative assembly when he allowed a motion, to strip Dr Ting as the state assemblyman on May 12 for acquiring an Australian citizenship, to be tabled.

“I think today's judgment has shown that the Speaker cannot act above the law,” the Kota Sentosa assemblyman said, accusing the Speaker of being a judge, prosecutor and enforcer at the same time in the state legislative assembly.

Chong, who is also Bandar Kuching member of parliament, also blamed Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Openg for allowing the “shameful abuse to happen” in his first sitting of the state assembly as chief minister.

“This will go down in history as a terrible stigma in his political career as the chief minister of Sarawak,” Chong said.

Dr Ting has filed an Originating Summons challenging the state legislative assembly to disqualify him as the assemblyman for Pujut and that he wanted the court to declare that his disqualification was null and void.

The Election Commission has since announced that there will no longer be a by-election for Pujut.