No new exco members for now, says Negeri Sembilan MB

 The four vacated portfolios will be divided among the six exco members in the meantime.

Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Aminuddin Harun said his administration is no longer a minority government now that Umno has agreed to maintain the unity state government. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Aminuddin Harun has no plans for now to fill the four state executive council posts that fell vacant following the resignations of four Umno assemblymen.

Aminuddin said the vacated portfolios and duties will be divided among the six exco members in the meantime, Berita Harian reported.

“For now, we have not decided on (filling the posts). Certain matters and duties will be taken up by the existing exco members. (The appointment of new exco members) will take some time,” he was quoted as saying after the weekly exco meeting today.

The four Umno assemblymen who resigned from the exco after withdrawing support for Aminuddin include state Barisan Nasional chief and Pertang assemblyman Jalaluddin Alias, who was a senior member of the executive council.

The other three are Ismail Lasim (Senaling), Mustapha Nagoor (Palong) and Faizal Ramli (Linggi).

Jalaluddin was in charge of rural development, plantation and commodities, and agriculture, while Ismail oversaw education and human capital.

Mustapha was the youth and sports committee chairman, while Faizal held the heritage, digital and science, technology and innovation portfolios.

‘My administration no longer a minority govt’

Aminuddin said his administration is no longer a minority government now that Umno has agreed to maintain the unity state government.

He said this meant that the state government’s status is back to what it was before the political crisis broke out.

“Additionally, the two opposition assemblymen (from Bersatu) have stated that they no longer support any move (to change the state government).

“My focus now is on doing my job,” the PKR vice-president said.

The 14 BN assemblymen withdrew their support for Aminuddin last week over his handling of the crisis involving four chieftains seeking to remove Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.

BN later claimed it had the numbers to form a new state government with the backing of Perikatan Nasional’s five assemblymen. A simple majority of 19 assemblymen is needed to form the government.

However, the central Umno leadership has since ordered the 14  to continue backing the unity government.

State Umno chief Jalaluddin said they will abide by the decision but maintained that they have lost confidence in Aminuddin as menteri besar. - FMT