The ongoing crisis plaguing the Umno leadership helming the Terengganu state government can only be solved if the party is willing to replace present Menteri Besar Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman; get a fresh mandate from the people with a snap state election; or team with PAS in a unity government.

These are the only three choices open to the party to salvage the state government, the Batu Burok assemblyperson from PAS, Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi, said today.

Syed Azman argued that while Umno still has a simple majority in the Terengganu state assembly with its 17 elected representatives, as compared to the state opposition's 15, the Malay party only has three choices to consider for their long time political survival as a result of the recent complications plaguing its leadership:

  • Appoint a new menteri besar
  • Form a unity government with the opposition, namely PAS; or
  • Dissolve the state assembly and call for for a snap election.

"For me, even with the majority that Umno has in the state assembly, any decision its leadership will take must see its internal crisis resolved, because the people are getting tired with the politicking while the rakyat continue to be hemmed in by rising living costs and the GST, which is a burden to them," Syed Azman said in a statement.

He said Terengganu was facing rough times with a drastic reduction in its 2016 budget, from RM2.3 billion the previous year to only around RM640 million because of Terengganu's dependency on the oil and gas sector.

However, the state has suffered after the prices of petroleum fell to record levels, leading to the economic slowdown in oil producing countries and states.

"The reality is that many Terengganu youths, including university graduates, are among the jobless because of the lack of job opportunities in the state.

"The reality is that too many trishaw operators, farmers and fisherman in the state still struggle just to make ends meet," he said.

Syed Azman felt that it was his duty, as the people's representative, to bring this matter up as the ongoing crisis concerning the unresolved Umno leadership tussle was causing further worries to the already distressed rakyat.

He said this in response to the report that Terengganu's Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin had stripped Ahmad Razif ( photo ) of all state titles. effective April 22.

The matter was announced by the Terengganu palace yesterday, with the statement also saying that "this proclamation is not related to other developments in the state".

Ahmad Razif previously held the Darjah Dato' Paduka Mahkota Terengganu Kehormat (DPMT), which carries the title 'Datuk', which was conferred on him in 2012, and the Seri Setia Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin (SSMZ) title, which carries the title 'Datuk Seri' and was conferred on him in April 2015.

Early last month, former menteri besar Ahmad Said had tried unsuccessfully to move a motion of no-confidence against Razif in the state assembly, triggering talk of another MB change after the removal of Ahmad by the Malay party mid-term in May 2014.

Ahmad Razif, who is the state assemblyperson for Seberang Takir, was sworn in as the menteri besar of Terengganu upon instructions from the central Umno leadership that he replaces Ahmad Said.