‘No more drama, time to work’
Perlis MB reports for duty and heads straight to his office
KANGAR: It was work as usual for Datuk Seri Azlan Man on his first day as Mentri Besar.
Azlan reported for work at the state assembly building in Persiaran Wawasan here at about 10.15am yesterday and headed straight for his office.
“No more drama. It is time to work for me, thank you,” he said before politely ushering the media out of his room.
He then briefly went through some documents and a stack of newspapers including The Star placed on his table.
Meanwhile, a group of NGOs representing about 20,000 members urged the nine Barisan Nasional assemblymen to show more respect for the Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail after they boycotted the swearing-in of the MB ceremony at Istana Arau on Thursday.
Perlis Entrepreneur and Tourism Club chairman Dr Ammar Hassan said nobody can force the Tuanku to appoint their favourite candidate for the MB post.
“They can lobby for it before the decision is made.
“But after that, the Tuanku’s final decision must be respected,” he said at UTC Perlis yesterday.
Perlis Indian Association chairman T. Muniandy, 74, also urged the Indian community to respect the Raja of Perlis’ choice.
“His decision is final. We must all respect it to ensure peace and harmony here in the state,” he said.
Perlis Muslim Women’s Welfare Board member Hariah Abdullah, 62, said politicians should respect the royal institution.
“I hope the newly appointed MB will listen to feedback and opinions of the people and focus on development, especially in rural areas,” she said.
Perlis mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has called for a fresh state election to resolve the crisis.
“It seems like Perlis needs to con- duct another election to satisfy everyone.
“Those with quality and those who lost in the elections can contest again for the 15 seats,” he said, adding that the 1Malaysia Development Bhd issue would serve as a reference for the people to re-evaluate their decisions.
Kangar Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia division chief Khizanif Khizan said the party expressed regret on the purported insolence shown by Perlis Barisan chairman and Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim and secretary Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin.
He appealed to the Raja of Perlis to appoint another candidate for the MB post from among the assemblymen besides Datuk Seri Azlan Man and Datuk Ismail Kassim, the younger brother of Shahidan.
“Shahidan’s act proves that he is desperate and hungry for power to the extent of defying His Highness.
“Since Azlan no longer has the confidence of the other nine Barisan assemblymen and Ismail has withdrawn himself from the post, we propose to the Raja of Perlis to choose another candidate to become the new mentri besar,” said Khizanif in a statement.
He also urged the Raja of Perlis to take action against Shahidan’s rebellious act to uphold the dignity of the royal institution.
Despite Barisan winning 10 out of 15 state seats, Perlis is the last state in the country to have an MB appointed.
Perlis Barisan delivered a letter on May 12 to inform the palace that Ismail, the Tambun Tulang assemblyman, commanded the confidence of the new state assembly.
It took almost two weeks before the Raja of Perlis appointed 60-yearold Bintong assemblyman Azlan as MB for his second term.