Pakatan to auction Democracy Tree plaque pieces

Perak Pakatan Rakyat will hold a public auction of the five broken pieces of the original marble memorial plaque at the Democracy Tree this Sunday at 11am.
State DAP Secretary Nga Kor Ming said the money will go towards Pakatan legal fund and to erect a bigger and better plaque to replace the one removed by the Ipoh City Council on March 15.
Opening bid for the framed decorative pieces would start from RM500, he said.
The plaque commemorated the historic March 3 sitting of the State Assembly under its boughs after state assemblymen were shut out of the State Secretariat where they usually met.
The auction, he said, would start from 11am under the shade of the tree, and anyone or their proxy could turn up to bid.
Nga said that Pakatan managed to get a hold of the shards when certain “irresponsible” quarters vandalised the plaque by smashing the edges of the plaque.
“The five pieces have been turned into very nice decorative souvenirs complete with a picture of the plaque framed with gold lining.
“The reason we’re doing this is to commemorate the historic sitting of the state assembly under the tree. This is the first public auction of its kind,” he added.
Nga also said Pakatan had received overwhelming response from the public who have donated RM8,288 over five days.
Asked if Pakatan was exploiting public sympathy through the auction, Nga replied that the coalition was only raising funds.
“We invite those who love democracy to come by on Sunday,” he said.
Meanwhile, Datuk Bandar Roshidi Hashim said the council would keep on removing any illegally erected plaques no matter how many Pakatan builds.
He stressed however that this did not mean the council was taking sides but was merely carrying out its rightful duties.
“We have to take action according to the law. It does not matter who erects the structures - we will still have to take them down if they were not put up according to proper procedures,” he told reporters after accompanying Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abd Kadir to meet the traders of the Kampung Simee and Gunung Rapat wet markets here Friday.
Pakatan’s first memorial plaque, to mark Pakatan’s emergency state assembly on March 3 under the tree, was uprooted by the council last Sunday.