Why now, Amanah MP ask Terengganu PAS on state election

Parti Amanah Negara Terengganu chairperson Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad has taken a swipe at his former allies in PAS over the party's stand on an expected menteri besar change.

In a statement, Raja Kamarul Bahrin questioned the stand of the state PAS to now support calls for the state assembly to be dissolved, rather than appoint a new menteri besar from the BN to replace Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman.

The Kuala Terengganu MP said this was because PAS had rejected his arguments on the need to call for a fresh state election when former menteri besar Ahmad Said tabled a vote of no confidence against Razif.

"Unless Terengganu Umno is in turmoil again. That is the current situation, so we must be objective in this issue and not be emotional.

"If they (PAS) want to take action (to call for state election), it should have been done when the vote of no confidence was tabled," he said.

Ahmad (photo) had on March 8 attempted to remove Razif through a vote of no confidence, but his motion was rejected by Terengganu state assembly speaker Mohd Zubir Embong.

Raja Kamarul Baharin argued that the motion could have, in theory, created a situation where there are 16 BN state assembly members against 15 from the Opposition - 14 from PAS, one from PKR - and Ahmad.

"It would be difficult for the state government to function. That is why I am puzzled as to why the state opposition leader from PAS did not pressure for the state election to be called.

"The situation now is just between the palace and the menteri besar, not due to action of any state assemblyperson," Raja Kamarul Baharin said.

He also called on both BN and the state opposition to focus on a resolution that places the people's interests in the forefront, at a time when they were facing the impacts of issues such as the state-owned fund 1MDB scandal and the goods and services tax.

On Monday, the Terengganu palace issued a statement confirming that Razif’s titles were removed, effective April 22, and this added more fuel to the talks of a change in the state’s menteri besar.

While the reasons so far remain unclear, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has said he is scheduled to have an audience With Terengganu's Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin soon, and urged for people to not speculate on the matter. -Mkini