KUALA LUMPUR – Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, who is a former Kedah menteri besar, has called on voters there to consider the benefits of aligning the state administration with that of the federal government.
The former Padang Terap MP said that with the state election on the horizon, Umno believes that the best way for a state to progress would be to work in tandem with Putrajaya.
“The federal government will definitely help states that are governed by opposition parties, but it would be easier for the people to enjoy government facilities if (the state and federal) administrations are parallel.
“It would be good for Kedah voters to bear this in mind (when they head to the polling booths),” he said during an interview session on the sidelines of the 2022 Umno general assembly here today.
Kedah is one of the six states which are expected to hold respective elections in the coming months. The other five states are Selangor, Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang and Negri Sembilan.
Meanwhile, Mahdzir also took an apparent dig at Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, saying that the “outspoken” PAS man often makes “snide remarks (kuat perli)”.
“I know him personally and that’s just his (Sanusi’s) style. He’s loud and a braggart sometimes,” he said in jest.
He added that Sanusi, who is also PAS elections director, had merely taken over the good work accomplished by Barisan Nasional (BN) when it ruled the state prior to Sanusi’s appointment in 2020.
“Nothing new and great has happened (since Sanusi became the state’s menteri besar). There has only been talk of action.
“The system in place in Kedah now regarding matters such as education, land and water supply was pioneered by BN decades ago,” he said.
Mahdzir held the Kedah menteri besar’s seat from 2005 to 2008. He later served as federal education minister (2015-2018), Tenaga Nasional Bhd chairman (2020-2021) and rural development minister (2021-2022).
He failed to defend the Padang Terap parliamentary seat, losing to Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the 15th general election (GE15) last November.
Mahdzir added that part of Umno’s election campaign strategy will be to explain to voters why it had opted to join the unity government led by Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.
“Our campaign strategy involves traveling throughout the country to explain at the state level, from division to branch, why we are in a unity government,” he said.
He also said that Umno is ready to have discussions with PH state leaders regarding seat allocations for the upcoming state polls.
During GE15, Umno lost all the parliamentary seats it contested in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu to PN.
PH is considered a strong contender in Penang, Selangor and Negri Sembilan, where it currently controls the state administrations. – The Vibes, January 11, 2023
