No snap polls in Negeri Sembilan for now

 Menteri besar Aminuddin Harun has no plans to seek the state assembly's dissolution, but says Umno should have moved a no-confidence motion instead.

Menteri besar Aminuddin Harun said he has no plans to seek the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan’s consent to dissolve the state assembly to make way for a snap election. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 There will be no snap state election in Negeri Sembilan for now despite the 14 Barisan Nasional assemblymen withdrawing their support for menteri besar Aminuddin Harun.

Although he currently only has the support of 17 out of 36 assemblymen, Aminuddin said he had no plans to seek the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan’s consent to dissolve the state assembly and make way for a snap election.

The Sikamat assemblyman said a minority government could continue to carry out its duties until the question of his majority support in the state assembly was determined.

He said BN could have moved a motion of no confidence against him in the state assembly instead of merely announcing a retraction of support. However, the coalition’s representatives in the state executive council had pushed for the assembly’s meeting to be postponed.

“If they had planned this from the start, they should have allowed the state assembly meeting to proceed.

“I was not the one who proposed that the (assembly) meeting be postponed, they did. (If they didn’t do that) they could have tabled a motion of no confidence against me today,” he said at a press conference in Seremban.

Aminuddin said the request to postpone proceedings was made by BN’s four executive councillors, including senior exco member Jalaluddin Alias, the night before the meeting was scheduled to begin on April 23.

The PKR vice-president said no new dates have been fixed for the upcoming meeting, but it could be convened anytime within the next six months.

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook, the Chennah assemblyman, said all 11 DAP assemblymen continued to support Aminuddin as menteri besar.

He also reminded BN that they were elected on the basis of a unity pact with PH, warning against forming a “backdoor government” by unseating Aminuddin.

“This government was given a mandate by the people of Negeri Sembilan. PH won 17 seats and BN won 14 seats after campaigning on the unity government platform.

“If any party withdraws support now, we see that as not respecting the mandate given by the people,” said Loke.

Earlier, Perikatan Nasional’s five assemblymen offered to help BN form a new state government.

The 36-member Negeri Sembilan assembly comprises 17 PH assemblymen, followed by 14 from BN and five from PN. A majority of 19 seats is needed to form the state government. - FMT