ROYAL CONSENT ON KEDAH MB ISSUE?

The Prime Minister’s official car entering the Palace.

(The Star) – Speculation that political change in Kedah is imminent has intensified after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah granted an audience to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Wednesday morning.

The Prime Minister’s black Perdana limousine was seen entering the Palace gates shortly before 8am.

Putrajaya sources said that the royal audience could not be the usual pre-Cabinet briefing that the Prime Minister has for the King as there was no Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

All ministers and MPs are in Parliament for a special sitting on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

Sources said that the outcome of the audience with the King would be announced later as royal consent to a change of mentri besar, if any, would be validated by an official notification which would be conveyed to the Regency Council in Alor Setar.

In other words, the greenlight on a new Mentri Besar will come from the King and not from the Regency Council.

It is a foregone conclusion that Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir will be removed as Mentri Besar, with his likely replacement deputy Kedah Umno chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah.

The Regency Council, in an extremely rare move, issued a press release Tuesday denying any role in the ongoing political crisis.

The statement stressed that it was non-partisan and that its council members were neutral and had not shown any bias.

It is understood that certain members of the Regency Council were upset over media reports that it had requested for more than one name to consider as the replacement Mentri Besar. One media report had also claimed that the Palace was opposed to changing the Mentri Besar.

Meanwhile, Mukhriz had his usual Wednesday audience with the Regency Council before heading back to Wisma Darulaman shortly before noon for the weekly state exco meeting.

It is learnt that only three state exco members turned up. They were Datuk Aminuddin Omar, Datuk Suraya Yaacob and Datuk Norsabrina Mohd Noor.