sitting On 3 March 2009, amidst a strong police presence, Sivakumar attempted to convene the emergency session of the assembly, but Pakatan Rakyat assemblypersons were barred from entering the State Secretariat. Sivakumar, wearing his full speaker robes and a songkok declared a tree in the parking lot of the State Secretariat as the meeting place. The session was witnessed by curious onlookers defying police warnings to stay away a motion of confidence in Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin's government, a motion to affirm the suspension of Zambry Abdul Kadir's Barisan Nasional state exco and a motion to dissolve the assembly for snap polls were passed unanimously, 27–0. Barisan Nasional protested the legitimacy of the emergency session and none of their assembly members attended. Nizar despatched a letter to Sultan Azlan Shah to request an audience to discuss the dissolution of the assembly. The tree used for shade during the session was then dubbed the "Democracy Tree" by Pakatan Rakyat and a memorial plaque was unveiled on 8 March 2009, the first anniversary of the election which swept Pakatan Rakyat to power in Perak. A webpage commemorating the tree was also created. Batu Gajah MP (2013–present) In 2013, Sivakumar was re-elected to the Parliament seat of Batu Gajah and has held the seat ever since. Deputy Secretary-General of the Democratic Action Party (2017–present) Sivakumar was appointed as Deputy Secretary-General of DAP on 12 November 2017 after the 16th National Congress and Central Executive Committee (CEC) election along with then Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and then Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming. On 20 March 2022, Sivakumar was reappointed to the position although losing in the 17th National Congress and leadership election by being co-opted into the CEC for his reappointment. Personal life Sivakumar is married to a teacher, S. Easwari, in Ipoh. The couple have three children together. He is a member of the board of directors of Yayasan Perak, Ipoh, and the Kuala Lumpur-based Rubber Export Promotion Council Malaysia. Election results References Malaysian politicians of Indian descent Malaysian politicians of Tamil descent Living people 1970 births People from Perak Democratic Action Party (Malaysia) politicians Members of the Dewan Rakyat Members of the Perak State Legislative Assembly Speakers of the Perak State Legislative Assembly