KUALA TERENGGANU – There should not be any bias on the part of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) assemblymen in Terengganu if there are flaws in the state administration, now that there is no opposition voice in the state assembly, said veteran politician Tengku Sri Paduka Raja Tengku Ibrahim Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah.
Tengku Ibrahim said that although the elected representatives were all from the same coalition, they must be bold enough to voice their views in the interest of the people.
In the recently concluded state election, PN made a clean sweep of all 32 seats up for grabs, with PAS winning 27 and Bersatu taking five, making it the first time since independence that Terengganu has no opposition in its state assembly.
“It is always good to have opposition in the state assembly, but we have now seen the opposite happening. How can we have good debates now? Normally it is the opposition that raises problems that affect the masses.
“When there is no opposition, we fear that the people’s concerns will not be heard, and no views will be put across,” the former assemblyman said here today.
Tengku Ibrahim, who was elected assemblyman for Tanggol, Hulu Terengganu in 1990, said Terengganu’s lawmakers should not blindly back the state administration, and instead be responsible assemblymen and carry out their duties without fear or favour.
Meanwhile, Terengganu Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Said said BN, despite its absence in the assembly this time around, will come up with effective strategies to voice out people-related issues.
“We are now in a cooling period. We are assessing the situation, Insya-Allah we will announce the appropriate plans to be taken,” he said. – Bernama, August 16, 2023
