Saarani to be sworn in as new Perak menteri besar

 

Umno's Kota Tampan assemblyperson Saarani Mohamad will finally be sworn in as the new Perak menteri besar.

Comptroller of the Perak Royal Household Abd Rahim Mohamad Nor, in a statement, said Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah is now satisfied that Saarani has majority support in the state assembly.

This came after four days of negotiations amid a deadlock between Umno and its Perikatan allies Bersatu and PAS.

The statement was read out by Perak Dewan Negara member Annuar Zaini outside of the Istana Kinta at Ipoh this evening.

Perak Dewan Negara is an advisory board to the Perak ruler.

Bersatu assemblypersons today finally agreed to back Saarani, giving him a simple majority.

Abd Rahim said Saarani will be sworn in before the Perak ruler tomorrow at 11am.

The swearing-in ceremony will take place at Istana Iskandariah, Kuala Kangsar, Perak's royal capital.

Umno, which has 25 assemblypersons, was five short of a simple majority.

After negotiations between Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang earlier today, they agreed to re-establish the Perikatan Nasional government in Perak with a new menteri besar.

Zahid also apologised on behalf of Umno for ousting Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu (above) as the Perak menteri besar.

The PN government in Perak collapsed last Friday after Umno initiated a vote of confidence on Ahmad Faizal and then voted against him. The opposition also voted against Ahmad Faizal.

Ahmad Faizal lost the confidence vote after 48 assemblypersons voted against him while 10 voted in support.

Umno had long believed it deserved the menteri besar position as it commanded the most seats in the state assembly compared to Bersatu's five.

But its move to oust Ahmad Faizal angered Bersatu and PAS, which withheld their support for the formation of the new government.

Umno then flirted with the opposition Harapan but eventually decided to go with Bersatu and PAS after they reconciled.

Three Bersatu assemblypersons, along with Gerakan's Buntong assemblyperson Sivasubramaniam and independent assemblyperson Paul Yong, met with the Perak ruler this evening to submit their statutory declaration backing Umno's Saarani.

Sivasubramaniam and Yong were former DAP assemblypersons who defected in March.

The Bersatu assemblypersons were Sungai Manik’s Zainol Fadzi Paharudin, Kuala Kurau’s Abdul Yunus Jamahri and Tualang Sekah’s Nolee Ashilin Mohamed Radzi.

Bersatu's Titi Serong assemblyperson Hasnul Zulkarnain Abdul Munaim, who previously defected from Amanah, submitted his statutory declaration to the ruler yesterday.

Ahmad Faizal was absent as he was in Kuala Lumpur for the budget vote in the Dewan Rakyat. Ahmad Faizal is both the Chenderiang assemblyperson and Tambun MP.

However, Bersatu's Sungai Manik assemblyperson, after meeting the Perak ruler with his colleagues this afternoon, assured Ahmad Faizal is also backing Saarani.

Ahmad Faizal, in a Facebook statement later, congratulated Saarani on his impending appointed as the new Perak menteri besar. - Mkini