Perak MB says ready to serve as Bersatu deputy president

Perak Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu said today he is prepared to serve as Bersatu deputy president after no other contenders were listed to contest the post.

Speaking to reporters in Ipoh, Faizal said he had offered himself to contest the deputy president's post with a vision to cooperate and support Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin.

"It was reported yesterday that there was no other candidate for the post.

"This allows me to be named as deputy president when the time comes," said the Chenderiang assemblyperson.

Muhyiddin has unofficially retained his president's post while Faizal has unofficially won the deputy president's post.

However, Bersatu election committee chairperson Syed Hamid Syed Jaafar Albar reportedly said an official announcement would only be made sometime in August after the party divisional elections are over.

All party divisional meetings would be held simultaneously on Aug 22, which would also include elections for the party’s top posts.

Commenting further, Faizal described his new position as a responsibility which must be carried out to the best of his ability.

"Most important is to prepare the party to face any circumstances, be it the general elections or others, to strengthen the party, increase membership, support the president and prime minister in running the government," he said.

The Tambun MP added that a majority of Bersatu members support Muhyiddin as their president, whose leadership has attracted more people to join the party.

Meanwhile, Faizal said the issue of PN's candidate for the upcoming Slim state seat by-election would be discussed among its component parties.

"And when the time comes, we will decide. By the time we decide all component parties will have to support whoever is selected," he said.

After sitting out of the last Chini by-election, Perak PKR chief Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak declared that the Harapan component party would contest the Slim state seat which has been vacated following the death of BN's Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib. -Mkini