‘No plans yet’ for an acting MB

GEORGE TOWN: The Kedah government will not be appointing an acting mentri besar at the moment.

Kedah state secretary Datuk Bakar Din said the state government has yet to make a decision as it was too early to do so.

Speaking to reporters after visiting Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah at the Penang Hospital yesterday, he said the state administration would carry on as usual.

“What the Mentri Besar needs now is a lot of rest. The most important thing is to get his health back on track,” Bakar said.

“His condition is stable as he is now conscious and able to speak. The surgery was successful. It’s just that he needs a lot of rest.

“If his condition is okay, the hospital will move him to the normal ward from the Intensive Care Unit,” Bakar said.

He said Ahmad Bashah would only return to office with the doctors’ recommendations.

“If he is okay then he will return to office, but I do not expect him to recover anytime soon as it will take time to heal especially after an operation,” he added.

Bukit Kayu Hitam assemblyman Datuk Ahmad Zaini Japar, who was also present to visit Ahmad Bashah, hopes that the Mentri Besar recovers soon.

“He can respond to us so it’s good. Everything looks positive. We pray for the best,” he said.

Also present to visit him yesterday was Gerakan deputy president Datuk Dr Cheah Soon Hai, Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) chief executive Datuk Redza Rafiq, and former Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Syed Razak Syed Zain Barakbah.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Bashah’s wife Datin Seri Hizam Awang Ahmad when contacted, said although her husband was recovering, he still required further treatment.

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“He is getting well now and is able to communicate with me slowly,” she said.

It was reported that Ahmad Bashah successfully underwent a five-hour surgery for an intestinal complication at the Penang Hospital on Monday night.

He was earlier rushed to the Kedah Medical Centre in Alor Setar after becoming unconscious while attending a meeting at the Grand Alora Hotel in Mergong last Saturday.