IPOH – Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) will not discount the possibility of a new political alignment involving other parties, including those from the Pakatan Harapan coalition.
Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told reporters on the outskirts of Istana Kinta today that they are looking at all possibilities to resolve the leadership crisis in Perak, which was triggered by former menteri besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu's loss in a confidence vote in the State Assembly on Friday.
“We will look at all possibilities. I’ve said earlier that, as much as possible, we will maintain our original political alignment but, if this cannot be done, of course, a solution must be found for a new political alignment,” said Zahid.
When pressed on whether this could include political rivals in PH, in particular DAP, Zahid, who is also Bagan Datok MP, said that all possibilities will be explored but that, at the end of the day, it is still up to the party to decide.
Yesterday, Zahid had attended a special Perak Umno meeting here where he met his party’s assemblymen as well as a handful of party leaders.
He said today that a dialogue with other political parties in Perak have been carried out by party members and that he will take the discussion to the federal level and meet with the central leadership of other parties, including those from the federal opposition.
“The most important thing is that the budget must be tabled at the state assembly. Once it has been tabled, and there is a debate and a decision is made, it means that Perak’s administration will return to normal, even though there is a change in leadership.”
At 10am today, Zahid had an audience with Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah to discuss the ongoing leadership crisis and to inform the ruler of Umno’s plans to resolve the issue.
Zahid said after discussions with other parties, he will submit Umno’s candidate list for the menteri besar position to the sultan as soon as possible.
However, he remained tight-lipped over the number of candidates and names he plans to submit.
Zahid also lauded the sultan for his openness in accepting and meeting other state-level political leaders, including those from the opposition that backed Umno’s bid to oust Faizal on Friday.
Later, Dewan Negara Perak member Datuk Seri Mohd Annuar Zaini said during in the audience with the ruler, Zahid had briefed Sultan Nazrin on the formula Umno will utilise at the state level to resolve the leadership crisis.
“The swearing-in of the new menteri besar will only be administered once the palace is convinced that a candidate has secured the support of a simple majority among the state assemblymen,” said Annuar.
He added that currently, there are no more audiences scheduled at Istana Kinta but did not discount the fluidity of the situation. – The Vibes, December 6, 2020
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