Stalemate over Kedah Speaker continues

ALOR SETAR: Umno is to leave it entirely to Kedah Umno to solve the stalemate over the election of the Speaker of the Kedah Legislative Assembly ( DUN) which has an equal number of Pakatan Harapan ( PH) and opposition seats.

Umno acting president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Umno was open for discussion but the Kedah Umno stand on the matter must be respected by all.

“I have held discussions with Kedah Umno chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah and two state assemblymen and we will come to a good decision in the common interest,” he said after attending the Aidilfitri open house of Kedah Umno here yesterday.

Ahmad Zahid said Umno did not dismiss the possibility of fresh state elections in Kedah if the stalemate over its DUN Speaker’s election remained unsolved.

PH, which has formed the government in Kedah, has 18 seats in the assembly, Barisan Nasional (BN) has 15 and PAS has three.

Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Tun Mahathir had said he would have discussions with Umno and PAS to resolve the issue before the state assembly convenes early next month.

He said yesterday, however, that the PH state government could not accept a PAS-proposed candidate because the individual was not an assemblyman and that would leave the opposition with 19 seats to PH’s 18 in the assembly. — Bernama