The hullabaloo over the appointment of the Perlis menteri besar after the 2008 general elections is not quite over. There are internet rumours of an alleged ‘deal’ been made to rotate the post.

                                        

If the rumours are to be believed, come next month, it will be time for ex-MB and Tambun Tulang assemblyman Shahidan Kassim to replace incumbent MB Md Isa Sabu ( below ).

md isa sabu and supporters in perlis 170308 Former Perlis Umno information chief Hashim Suboh, known to be Shahidan's staunchest supporter, told Malaysiakini that the 'deal' was brokered between the two opposing Umno camps during meetings held between Feb 21 and 22, one day short of the 2008 nominations.

He further claimed the meeting was attended by the then premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, his deputy Najib Abdul Razak, as well as Shahidan representating 'Team A' and then Umno secretary general Radzi Sheikh Ahmad and Padang Besar parliamentarian Azmi Khalid on behalf of 'Team B'.

However, Radzi who is Kangar MP denied the existance of any ‘deal’ that would see Shahidan returning as MB come March.  “There was no such deal. It never came up at all.”

He admitted that a meeting took place as described by Hashim, but only to discuss the names of the BN candidates to contest in Perlis.

Open secret

It was an open secret that the leaders of the two camps were going head to head especially in naming their core supporters as candidates for the 2008 elections.

umno supreme council special meeting 260809 shahidan kasim But Hashim refuted Radzi’s dismissal of the existence of the deal, “it is not just hearsay.”

Allegations of the ‘deal’ to rotate the MB position first appeared in the blog Qunang-Qunang and on a page of popular social networking site Facebook – both operated by former Perlis Umno youth exco Syed Atief Syed Abu Bakar who was at one time a special officer to Shahidan ( left ).

Syed Atief, who is also the Bandar Arau Umno branch youth chief, has written a series of seven blog postings with regards to the matter since January, chronicling the ‘rise and fall’ of Shahidan.

Radzi countered that in the last general elections the people of Perlis rejected Shahidan’s leadership when Umno lost Sanglang and Simpang Empat in the Arau district, led by Shahidan.

“The people has shown their rejection of him. They do not want (his leadership),” he added.

He also gave the example of how the Arau division is seeing the lowest ebb in new memberships last year compared to the Kangar and Padang Besar divisions as further proof.

Attempts to contact Shahidan himself have been unsuccessful.