Terengganu’s Regency Advisory Council has called on all assemblypersons to stop making press statements that could aggravate the political turmoil in the state.

The meeting with the assemblypersons was held at a hotel in Kuala Terengganu following the ‘boycott’ of 10 ruling Umno representatives at the state assembly last month.

umno supreme council special meeting 260809 ahmad said On April 14, more than half of Barisan Nasional backbenchers did not turn up at the sitting in a move related to their bid to oust Menteri Besar Ahmad Said ( left ).

The assemblypersons had said they would only attend the assembly sittings if their safety could be guaranteed after three of them received “death threats” through text messages.

However, they showed up on the last day of the sitting on the orders of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is Umno leader and BN chief.

One of the assembly representatives, who requested anonymity, informed Malaysiakini that the advisory council had invited all the assemblypersons for a meeting over the incident.

Malaysiakini understands that the menteri besar did not attend the meeting as he was not invited, but about a dozen assemblypersons were present and it lasted for about two hours.

The source, however, added that he did not know why the other assemblypersons did not attend the meeting. BN has 24 seats - 23 Umno, 1 MCA - while PAS has eight in the state assembly.

“We listened to the advice from two of the MPPR (Regency Advisory Council) representatives without posing any questions to them.

“That is why we will not be making any statement regarding the Terengganu political crisis because we are having a cooling-off period,” he said when contacted yesterday.

‘Hishammuddin meets advisory council’

The assemblyperson also revealed that Deputy Prime Minister and Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin gave similar instructions barring the assemblypersons from making any press statements.

Prior to that, it is also learnt that the newly-appointed state Umno chief Hishammuddin Hussein had arranged a meeting with the advisory council.

According to an official close to the menteri besar, the meeting is regarding Ahmad’s performance as MB.

The official said Hishammuddin was willing to meet with the group of BN state representatives who were not satisfied with Ahmad and wanted him replaced.

Following that, it is also believed that Ahmad had sought an audience with Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, who is also the Terengganu sultan, soon after he returned from overseas.

sultan mizan 13th king agung 131206 regent coronated Last year, the king had insisted that Ahmad to be appointed as menteri besar after last year's general elections instead of former MB Idris Jusoh, who was then premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's choice.

As Tuanku Mizan is serving his five-year term as the agong, Terengganu is currently ruled by his eldest son, Tengku Muhammad Ismail.

But given that the prince is only 10 years old, a three-member Regency Advisory Council headed by the king’s brother, Raja Tengku Baderulzaman, has been set up to help Muhammad discharge his duties.