MB rallies troops after PAS man hints at another Perak coup

 

Perak Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad today rallied government assemblypersons in a show of force following hints by opposition leader Razman Zakaria that the Perak government was no longer stable.

Flanked by 30 state lawmakers during a press conference in Ipoh today, Saarani (above) said Razman was deliberately trying to create an impression of disunity in his administration.

“The state government is not only strong and stable, but it is also getting stronger, driven by the spirit of togetherness, responsibility and determination, including to succeed in every agenda outlined in the 2030 Perak Sejahtera plan,” he said, during the press conference ahead of the Perak state assembly sitting.

Saarani became the menteri besar after securing the support of 32 assemblypersons. Saarani’s BN coalition has only nine seats in the state assembly while allied Pakatan Harapan held 24.

The opposition has 26 seats, mostly held by PAS (17), followed by Bersatu (nine). There are 59 seats in the Perak legislative assembly.

Only two state assemblypersons were not at the gathering with Saarani - Kepayang assemblyperson Nga Kor Ming, who is on official business abroad as a federal minister, and Keranji assemblyperson Koo Haai Yen, who arrived later.

Even if Razman managed to engineer defections, he will not be able to form a government outright because Perak has laws that would render a seat vacant should the incumbent defect.

Therefore, for Saarani to be ousted, Perikatan Nasional will have to win four more seats through by-elections.

Saarani challenged Razman to state who are the four assemblypersons he allegedly met and urged him to refrain from making statements that would affect confidence in the economy.

“There were some suggestions from the assemblyperson to lodge a (police) report to stop Razman from playing up the issue. When the time comes, we will do it as his accusation can threaten the state’s security and is a seditious statement.

“Not to mention, if the PAS commissioner is lying, it is very bad. He lied to the world, which is very bad,” said Saarani, according to the New Straits Times.

Perak has seen its menteri besar ousted through defections in 2009 and again in 2020. - Mkini