Coalition govt may not be formed in all states - Zahid

 

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today hinted that the formation of a coalition government that is expected to happen in Malacca may not necessarily occur in other states, including Johor.

The BN chairperson said this was because the political situation in Malacca differed from those in other states.

“I hope there is no speculation because the important thing is political stability, not only at the national level, but we believe that stability also needs to be established for the administration in each state,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters during the ‘Santunan Kasih Ramadan’ programme at Masjid Jamek Kampung Sungai Gersik, in Muar, Johor, today.

The Umno president said the most important thing for the people was political stability, which would translate to an influx of investment as well as economic opportunities based on better investor trust.

“Stability will also bring confidence to the people in the leadership of the state itself and I believe that what the Honorable Prime Minister (Anwar Ibrahim) hopes for is political stability,” Zahid (above) said.

The political scene in Malacca has been in the spotlight since yesterday when Umno’s Sulaiman Md Ali resigned as the 12th chief minister.

Malacca is currently fully governed by BN. Malacca BN has 21 out of 28 seats in the state assembly, while Pakatan Harapan has five seats, and Perikatan Nasional (PN) has two.

Zahid said today his party has proposed Malacca Umno chairperson Ab Rauf Yusoh for the chief minister’s post.

When asked what political changes were expected in Malacca under the new state government, the Umno president expressed confidence that the spirit of the coalition government at the national level will be successfully translated at the state level, as well as in the next six state elections.

“We must allow good optics and narratives to widen the formation of this unity government at the state level. I was also informed that at the Johor state level, it is being implemented in its own way, where the state government has given appropriate allocations to all members of the Johor state assembly.

“And this certainly provides good optics for the Johor state government and it will certainly be able to provide a balance between the state government represented by BN assemblypersons and assemblypersons from other coalition parties, including those not aligned with the federal government,” he said.

In the last Johor state election, BN won more than two-thirds of the seats by winning 40 of the 56 contested seats, followed by Harapan with 13 seats, and PN with three.

Also present at the ceremony tonight were Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Umno vice president Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who is also a former Johor menteri besar.

- Bernama