by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Tanjong on Wednesday, September 14, 1994:
Mahathir should seek the legal opinion of the Attorney-General as to whether a new Malacca Chief Minister should be appointed or whether the Malacca State Constitution permits the appointment of an Acting Chief Minister.
Yesterday, I stressed that the Malacca State Government cannot continue to be ‘headless’ and called on the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed to immediately rectify the position.
I therefore welcome Mahathir’s awareness of this problem when he said in Kota Kinabalu that he was working on this matter, and that Malacca would get an Acting Chief Minister soon.
Mahathir should seek the legal opinion of the Attorney-General as to whether a new Malacca Chief Minister should be appointed or whether the Malacca State Government permits the appointment of an Acting Chief Minister.
I have been advised that it would be more proper for the appointment of a new Malacca Chief Minister as the Malacca State Constitution does not provide tor an Acting Chief Minister.
This is a very serious legal and constitutional question, for if the Malacca State Constitution does not provide for the appointment of an Acting Chief Minister, the decisions and actions of an Acting Chief Minister would be of doubtful consti¬tutional validity as even his appointment would be challengeable in the courts of law.