KUALA LUMPUR – The Pakatan Harapan (PH) presidential council has objected to the appointment of Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali as Melaka’s caretaker chief minister on the basis that he no longer holds a majority in the state assembly.
In a statement today, the council noted state secretary Datuk Kemal Mohamad’s comments with regard to naming Sulaiman as the leader of the caretaker government in the state.
“It is important to note that PH had rejected the dissolution of the state assembly as unconstitutional, as Melaka continues to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with a coalition that has earned the support of the majority in the state assembly.
“PH rejects the naming of Sulaiman as the ‘caretaker’ chief minister for Melaka because he has clearly lost the support of the majority in state assembly prior to the dissolution and can no longer head the Melaka government,” read the council’s statement.
It opined that initial discussions should have been held between the state secretary, the majority bloc headed by Adly Zahari, as well as the bloc led by former Melaka chief minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron and the minority bloc led by Sulaiman before naming anyone to helm the post.
“In fact, just as what happened in Perak in 2009 or in Melaka itself last year, the majority bloc should be given the opportunity to helm the state administration.”
The council also reiterated its position that a state by-election should not be held at the present moment to avoid a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections.
“An emergency declaration (for Melaka) would not be suitable as it would raise concerns for investors when efforts to revive the state’s economy are underway.
“As such, we call on the relevant parties to bring the matter to the table in line with upholding the state’s constitution in ensuring that any government, including a ‘caretaker’ government, is led by the majority bloc of assemblymen.”
On October 5, state Speaker Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh said Melaka Governor Tun Mohd Ali Mohd Rustam decided to dissolve the state assembly after Idris (Sg Udang-BN) and three other assemblymen pulled their support for the chief minister.
The trio are Datuk Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundor-BN), Datuk Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Pengkalan Batu-independent), and Datuk Noor Effandi Ahmad (Telok Mas-Bersatu). – The Vibes, October 12, 2021
