Nine Kedah state assemblypersons were sworn in today as state executive councillors, all of them having been retained from the state executive council led by former menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir.

They took their oath of office before the chairperson of the Kedah Council of Regency, Tunku Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah, at Istana Anak Bukit in Alor Setar.

The assemblypersons are Dr Ku Abdul Rahman (Guar Cempedak); Suraya Yaacob (Sungai Tiang); Tajul Urus Mat Zain (Tanjung Dawai); Badrul Hisham Hashim (Kuala Nerang); Mohd Rawi Abd Hamid (Ayer Hangat); Mohd Tajudin Abdullah (Belantik); Noorsabrina Mohd Noor (Bandar Baharu); Aminuddin Omar (Jitra) and Dr Leong Yong Kong (Gurun).

Two other members of the Council of Regency - Tunku Intan Shafinaz Tuanku Abdul Halim and Tunku Abdul Hamid Thani Ibni Alhmarhum Sultan Badlishah - were also present at the ceremony, along with Menteri Besar Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah.

Ahmad Bashah is scheduled to announce the portfolios of the state executive councillors at a press conference at his office at Wisma Darulaman after the swearing-in ceremony.

In the previous state executive council, Ku Abdul Rahman was in charge of industries and investments, domestic trade, consumer affairs and cooperatives; Suraya, women development, agriculture and agro-based industry, entrepreneur development and social welfare; Tajul Urus, education, transportation and housing.

Badrul Hisham, local government, water supply, water and energy resources, non-government organisations; Mohd Rawi, religion, Siamese community affairs, tourism and heritage, and works; Mohd Tajudin, information, rural development and poverty eradication.

Noorsabrina, science, innovation and information technology, communications, and high technology and information resources; Aminuddin, youth and sports, arts and culture, and human development, and Dr Leong, environment, Chinese and Indian community affairs, and unity.

The swearing-in of the new state executive council members follows the appointment of Ahmad Bashah as the new menteri besar on Feb 4.

Mukhriz resigned as the menteri besar a day earlier after citing loss of majority support in the state legislative assembly.

This followed an announcement by several senior Umno leaders in Kedah that they had lost confidence in Mukhriz as the menteri besar and head of the Kedah Umno liaison committee.

Mukhriz, who is the state assemblyperson for Ayer Hitam, was the only one out of the 21 Barisan Nasional assemblypersons in the state absent from the swearing-in ceremony today.

- Bernama