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IPOH: Perak PAS commissioner Razman Zakaria (pix) has expressed the party’s commitment to defend the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government in the state following the current political crisis.
Razman, who is also the Gunung Semanggol assemblyman, said this was based on the decision of the top leadership to support the government which had been jointly built on a consensus between the party and Parti Peribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and UMNO.
“The former Menteri Besar (Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu) had an audience with the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah and the Sultan’s advice is to accept any candidate (for Menteri Besar), so we have agreed to defend the PN government which we have agreed on.
“The relationship between PAS and UMNO is also as normal. PAS’ principle is that we will not be with Bersatu only without UMNO and we won’t be with UMNO only without Bersatu,” he said when met by reporters after Ahmad Faizal’s press conference at the old residence of the Menteri Besar here yesterday.
At the press conference, Ahmad Faizal announced that he had handed over his resignation letter as Menteri Besar and that of the entire line-up of state executive councillors to Sultan Nazri at Istana Kinta here at about 3pm yesterday.
Asked if the current crisis would only lead to a change of Menteri Besar, Razman said it was up to each person’s interpretation.
“It’s up to you if the change of Menteri Besar is to be interpreted as the fall of the government but the fact is that if the Menteri Besar steps down, then all the state executive council members will step down too and this gives an impression that there is a new government.
“Ahmad Faizal’s resignation in accordance with the constitution automatically causes the line-up of executive councillors to collapse too, so Perak currently does not have a government and we await Sultan Nazrin’s decree as to who has the majority to be appointed as the government,” he said.
Ahmad Faizal, who is also the Chenderiang assemblyman, failed to garner majority support in a vote of confidence on him at the legislature.
He obtained only 10 votes compared to 48 against him, while one member abstained in the motion brought by Datuk Abd Manap Hashim (BN-Pengkalan Baru).
Perak has 59 assemblymen comprising 25 from Barisan Nasional, Bersatu (five), PAS (three), DAP (16), PKR (three), Amanah (five), Gerakan (one) and Independent (one). — Bernama
