Kedah Amanah Youth calls for fresh polls

The youth wing of Kedah Amanah has called for the dissolution of the state assembly following the purported loss of confidence of 23 elected representatives in the leadership of Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir.

Kedah Amanah Youth chief Mohd Ridzwan Arshad Ahmad said the party has always supported Pakatan Harapan and Mukhriz as menteri besar.

"Since Pakatan Harapan took over the government, there had been many advances and investment opportunities that have been realised over the two-year period," Ridzwan said in a statement.

"We call for the dissolution of the state assembly, to return the mandate to the people to vote in the state election to determine who is right to lead the government," he added.

Ridzwan was referring to the turning point for the Kedah state government when two PKR assemblypersons announced their exit from the party on May 12.

Following this, four Bersatu elected representatives declared their support for Perikatan National, leading to the fall of the Kedah government.

The turncoats are PKR assemblypersons Azman Nasrudin (Lunas), Dr Robert Ling Kui Ee (Sidam), from Bersatu - Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (Guar Chempedak), Halimaton Shaadiah Saad (Bukit Kayu Hitam), Mohd Firdaus Ahmad (Kuah) and Juhari Bulat (Ayer Hangat).

So far, 23 representatives have signed statutory declarations to state their loss of confidence in Mukhriz.

PAS leaders are meeting Kedah ruler Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah tomorrow to resolve the matter, with the hope of seizing the government from Harapan.

In 2015, when Mukhriz also lost the majority of the state assembly, the sultan had met with all the state assemblypersons to hear their views before consenting to a change of government.

Ridzwan said the move may be valid and is enshrined in the Kedah Darul Aman state law.

"However, it is clear that a series of betrayals have taken place against the mandate of the people, which was given in 2018."

Yesterday, Mukhriz expressed those who lost confidence in him as “traitors” and asked, “how would someone feel when betrayed by their own friends?"

“This had happened before at the federal level and now it is happening at the state level," he had said.

The development in Kedah follows the toppling of Harapan at the federal level in February, after Muhyiddin Yassin seized the premiership, and together with PKR turncoats, as well as BN and PAS leaders, formed Perikatan Nasional. - Mkini