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Kedah rout complete - Bashah takes over as state Umno chief
Published:  Feb 11, 2016 11:48 AM
Updated: 6:46 AM

Kedah Menteri Besar Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah's takeover of the state is now complete after he was appointed Kedah Umno chief this morning.

Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the directive for Bashah to replace Mukhriz Mahathir as state party chief came from Umno president Najib Abdul Razak.

"I have been ordered by Najib to inform all about the changes in Kedah Umno.

"I'd also like to take this opportunity to say a thousand 'thank yous' to Mukhriz," Tengku Adnan said in a statement today.

Also moving up the ranks in Kedah Umno was Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid who is now Bashah's deputy.

The Umno constitution states that state Umno chief and deputy chiefs are appointed at the president's discretion.

This marks the coming of a full circle for Bashah, who was previously replaced by Mukhriz as Kedah Umno chief after BN retook Kedah in 2013.

Bashah replaced Mukhriz as menteri besar last week, in a coup which ended with the latter tendering his resignation due to not having enough support among BN assemblypersons.

Mukhriz said he was removed because he spoke out against 1MDB and claims Najib had personally ticked him off for it.

Mahdzir surprised

Meanwhile, meeting to the press in Putrajaya, Mahdzir expressed surprise at his appointment as Kedah Umno deputy chief.

"Really? When? Was it today?" Mahdzir asked.

He thanked Najib for the appointment, and quipped that it was another heavy task laid on him by the Umno president.

He said the way forward now was for Kedah Umno to organise programmes to raise public confidence in the government.

Mahdzir had been Kedah Umno chief while he was the menteri besar from 2005 to 2008.

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