ALOR SETAR, May 17 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Datuk Seri Mukhriz Tun Mahathir today announced his resignation as Kedah Menteri Besar with immediate effect.
Mukhriz said this was after he had lost the majority support in the state legislative assembly.
“This morning I had informed Tuanku Sultan (Sultan of Kedah Al Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah) that I have lost majority support among the state assemblymen, and therefore I am relinquishing my position as Menteri Besar of Kedah Darul Aman with immediate effect.
“I pray that Allah SWT will continue to bless Kedah and its people with peace and prosperity,” he said when announcing the matter in a media conference at Wisma Darul Aman here today.
Mukhriz also thanked all state and federal government staff whom he said had cooperated well in the efforts to realise the state’s approach and policies throughout his leadership.
Mukhriz, who is currently Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) deputy president, said with his resignation, the positions of all state executive council members are automatically relinquished as well.
Speaking further, Mukhriz said political upheaval that saw two PKR assemblymen quitting their party led to the Bersatu and Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance losing its majority hold in the Kedah state assembly.
Following this, Mukhriz said four more assemblymen from Bersatu then pledged their support for Perikatan Nasional (PN), which left the PH-Bersatu alliance with only 13 state seats as opposed to PN’s 23.
“I have accepted this situation and I am relinquishing the menteri besar post with an open heart. Whatever happens politically at the federal level, my friends in PH and I are ready to soldier on as the Opposition in Kedah until the state legislative assembly is dissolved,” he said.
Last Tuesday, two PKR assemblymen – Azman Nasrudin (Lunas) and Dr Robert Ling Kui Ee (Sidam) – announced that they had quit the party.
On the same day, Kedah opposition leader Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said 19 out of 36 Kedah state assemblymen had lost confidence in Mukhriz’s leadership.
In a separate media conference here today, Kedah State Secretary Datuk Ammar Shaikh Mahmood Naim announced that the Sultan of Kedah has consented to the appointment of Muhammad Sanusi as the 14th Kedah Menteri Besar.
–NNN-BERNAMA