Portfolios only after all exco members appointed – Perak MB

IPOH: Portfolios will be assigned to the Perak state executive councillors only after all 10 of them have been appointed, new Menteri Besar Datuk Saarani Mohamad said yesterday.

Getting the already-appointed five councillors to take charge of more than one portfolio will stretch their resources and weaken the administration, he told a press conference after chairing a state executive council meeting at Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan, here.

“We will only assign the portfolios once all the 10 executive councillors have been appointed because, based on the experience in 2009 when councillors took charge of more than one portfolio, we will be crippled,” he said.

Last Thursday, five assemblymen were sworn in as state executive councillors before the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, at Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar.

Four of them were councillors in the previous administration, namely Datuk Zolkafly Harun (BNLintang); Datuk Shahrul Zaman Yahya (BN-Rungkup); Datuk Dr Wan Norashikin Wan Noordin (BN-Kampung Gajah) and Khairul Shahril Mohamed (BN-Bota).

Datuk Zainol Fadzi Paharudin (Bersatu-Sungai Manik) is a new face. The Perak state exco lineup was dissolved after Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu resigned as the menteri besar on Dec 5 following his defeat in a confidence vote a day earlier in the state legislative assembly.

Ahmad Faizal garnered 10 votes in favour and 48 against with one abstention after the motion was tabled by Datuk Abd Manap Hashim (BN-Pengkalan Baru).

Meanwhile, Sultan Nazrin has consented to grant PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang an audience today.

Perak Dewan Negara member Datuk Seri Mohd Annuar Zaini when confirming the matter to Bernama via WhatsApp said the meeting would be held at Istana Kinta here at 11 am.

Abdul Hadi who is also the Marang member of Parliament sent a letter to the palace on December 10 to seek an audience with Sultan Nazrin to inform the Ruler of the political situation involving PAS.

Last Friday, Perak PAS commissioner Razman Zakaria apologised to Sultan Nazrin Shah for not appearing before the Ruler when he and the other two assemblymen were summoned on December 8.

The other two PAS assemblymen were Mohd Akmal Kamarudin (Selama) and Mohd Khalil Yahaya (Kubu Gajah).

During the previous administration, Razman and Mohd Akmal were both state executive councillors.

However, no PAS assemblyman was appointed as state executive council members during the swearing-in ceremony at Istana Iskandariah, Kuala Kangsar on December 10 as it only involved four Umno assemblymen and one from Bersatu. - Bernama