Finally, Those clamouring for a by-election in Perak have got their wish !

One is to be held within 60 days following the death of Bukit Gantang MP Roslan Shaharum,51, from a heart attack.

This caps a tumultuous week which saw the Barisan Nasional (BN) seize power from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) triggered last Wednesday by the defection of four assemblymen and followed swiftly by the sultan's refusal to dissolve the state assembly, the sacking of the former mentri besar and state executive council and culminating in the swearing-in of a new MB last Thursday.

Meanwhile in Kedah, V. Arumugam has resigned as the state assemblyman for Bukit Selambau, Kedah Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak announced on Monday night.

V. Arumugam, who resigned as the state executive council member earlier, has now gone missing.

No one seems to know the whereabouts of the former Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Siamese Community Affairs, Unity, Estate Workers and Indian Community Affairs committee chairman.

Arumugam, 55, a retired Royal Malaysia Airforce mechanic, contested in the 12th general election last year as an Independent candidate.

He won the Bukit Selambau seat, defeating Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate S. Krishnan with a majority of 7,695 votes.

He emerged at the last minute as the Independent candidate when the Returning Officer rejected the nomination papers of Saiful Izham Ramli of PKR on technical grounds.

Arumugam later joined the PKR and was appointed a state executive council member.

Recently, a group of people claiming to be representing 500 residents of Taman Ria in Sungai Petani submitted a petition to the Sultan of Kedah claiming that a state executive councillor was involved in an affair with a woman.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua said that Arumugam had been harassed by several people -- face-to-face and over the phone. "They have been threatening to use some personal issues against him and have even gotten his family embroiled in this," he said.

Arumugam, who lodged a police report on Feb 2, claimed that there was an attempt to kidnap him in November and that he had been receiving threatening phone calls. In addition, he had even been given lucrative offers.

He also said a threatening note was left for him after the windscreen of his official car was smashed, and claimed that several individuals had approached him to coax him to leave PKR.

Arumugam said he came forward as he was concerned for his family's safety and asked the police to investigate all reports he had lodged since March last year.