BN group woos PAS, PKR reps to form unity govt in Perlis

This is despite BN sweeping 10 of the 15 state seats in the tiny state.

Former Perlis MB Azlan Man said he was not aware of any proposal to make Shahidan’s brother, Ismail Kassim, the new MB. (Facebook pic)

KANGAR: While the Perlis menteri besar stalemate continues, both PAS and PKR today admitted to receiving offers from a group of Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen to set up a unity government in Perlis.

Perlis PAS chief commissioner and Sanglang assemblyman Mohd Shukri Ramli said today that he and Guar Sanji assemblyman Mohd Ridzuan Hashim were asked to join the group last Thursday, a day after the 14th general election concluded.

Shukri said three other Pakatan Harapan (PH) representatives in the state, namely the assemblymen for Kuala Perlis, Sena and Indera Kayangan, had also received similar offers from the same group.

“A meeting had taken place among the PAS, PH and two BN assemblymen, but no decision was reached,” he said during a thanksgiving kenduri held in Kuala Sungai Padang here today.

Perlis remains the only state in the country which has not yet sworn in a menteri besar, six days after the 14th general election concluded.

This was despite BN securing 10 out of 15 state seats, giving them a two-thirds majority to form the state government there.

PH won three state seats, while PAS won two.

It was previously reported that Perlis BN chairman Shahidan Kassim had proposed Tambun Tulang assemblyman Ismail Kassim as the new MB. Ismail is Shahidan’s younger brother.

However, former Perlis MB Azlan Man, who contested in Bintong and won, said he was not aware of any such proposal.

It is speculated that the nomination of the new menteri besar is dragging on following a dispute between the Shahidan-led faction and another faction of elected representatives led by Azlan.

Shukri said they were not agreeable to the unity government mooted by this group as it would not be stable, considering some BN assemblymen would still remain with BN, while the rest would become part of the unity government.

“It would be difficult to govern the state.

“Of course, a unity government without an opposition would be able to run the state better.

“All Perlis elected representatives need to come together if we want to form a unity government,” he told reporters during a thanksgiving kenduri here today.

Newly-elected Kuala Perlis assemblyman Noor Azam Karap, who is from PKR, confirmed receiving the offer and said he had been personally contacted a day after the election with the proposal for a unity government.

Azam said he had also met up with the group concerned on the same day, but they did not discuss anything and did not arrive at any decision.

“That same evening I received another call again on the proposal to form a unity government. I rejected it immediately,” he told FMT.

Aside from him, Azam said fellow PKR representative Gan Ay Ling, who is assemblyman for Indera Kayangan, was also approached with the idea. - FMT