I'm still Kedah MB - Mukhriz moots confidence vote as solution
UPDATED 5.09PM | Added Mukhriz's plans to propose for a vote of confidence on his legitimacy to the state ruler.
Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir has dismissed claims that his government has fallen and vows to continue in his role until informed otherwise by the Kedah palace.
He will soon propose to the state ruler that any decision about his status be brought to a vote in the state legislative assembly.
“I am still the MB and the state government still stands. Therefore, claims that this government has...
- UPDATED 5.09PM | Added Mukhriz's plans to propose for a vote of confidence on his legitimacy to the state ruler.
Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir has dismissed claims that his government has fallen and vows to continue in his role until informed otherwise by the Kedah palace.
He will soon propose to the state ruler that any decision about his status be brought to a vote in the state legislative assembly.
“I am still the MB and the state government still stands. Therefore, claims that this government has collapsed is not true.
“There are a few more processes that need to be done. The Kedah sultan must be involved before something like this can be done. As long as that has not happened, the state government will operate as usual,” he said in a press conference in Alor Setar this afternoon.
“News of my death is highly exaggerated,” he added.
Yesterday, PAS Jeneri assemblyperson Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor held a press conference to announce that Mukhriz had lost support from a majority of Kedah assemblypersons.
He thus declared that the Bersatu-Pakatan Harapan state government had collapsed with “immediate effect”.
Following a meeting with his executive councillors earlier today, Mukhriz said they have collectively decided that decisions about his legitimacy as the MB ought to be decided in a vote of confidence rather than through statutory declarations (SDs).
“We would like to suggest to the Kedah sultan that this matter be decided in the legislative assembly sitting. This is a more transparent way, I believe,” he said, adding that the suggestion will be communicated to the ruler in the next few days.
As for Sanusi’s plan to submit SDs to the palace to prove a loss of confidence in his leadership, Mukhriz said it was up to the state ruler to decide whether to appoint a new MB based on the documents.
“But I think there is nothing wrong with tabling a (confidence) motion in the legislative assembly,” he reiterated.
Kedah state assembly speaker Ahmad Kassim later told Malaysiakini that Mukhriz’s suggestion for a vote of confidence is “the best and more transparent” step.
He also said that he does not yet know when the next state assembly sitting will be held, directing the question to the menteri besar instead.
The Kedah state assembly last convened on April 16 for one day.
Mukhriz did not disclose the date of the next sitting today but said that this could be set “anytime”.
Additional reporting by Geraldine Tong.
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