MOHAMED Azmin Ali has been appointed as Perikatan Nasional (PN) elections director, said the coalition’s secretary-general Hamzah Zainuddin.

Azmin’s appointment was unanimously agreed by the PN supreme council yesterday, which was chaired by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin online.

“The supreme council has unanimously appointed Azmin to oversee the preparation of the coalition’s election machinery,” Hamzah said in a statement today.

This comes after Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi appointed Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Rahman as Umno’s elections director for the next general election recently 

Hamzah also announced the establishment of the PN state liaison body to strengthen its position as a coalition leading the government.

These bodies will be responsible for coordinating PN activities at the state level, said Hamzah

“The PN chairman of the state will appoint the chairman of the state liaison body who will convene and chair all meetings of the state liaison body,” he said.

PAS youth chief Khairil Nizam Khairuddin was also appointed as PN’s youth chief and was given the mandate by the council to boost PN activists at the grassroots level.

“The supreme council believes these decisions will strengthen the efforts of PN in all levels and to improve the coordination between component parties in PN,” Hamzah said.

PN was registered as an official entity in August after six months since forming government to replace the fractured Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Bersatu left PH to form PN with PAS, Star and SAPP. PN contested as a party in the Sabah elections back in September together with Barisan Nasional and PBRS.

The Sabah government is now led by Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, a combination of PN, BN and PBRS.

MIC, which was initially the sponsor of the PN registration, later withdrew at the end of August on the grounds that Barisan Nasional and its other allies did not join the coalition.

The meeting yesterday was also attended by top leaders of PN component parties including  PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, Bersatu deputy-president Ahmad Faizal Azmuzu, Star president Jeffery Kittingan and SAPP president Yong Teck Lee. 

Among the other PN positions announced was treasurer-general Ahmad Samsuri Moktar (PAS), women’s chief Rina Harun and other top leaders Takiyuddin Hassan, Ronald Kiandee and Guan Dee Koh Hoi.

In a separate statement earlier today, the presidents of the four PN component parties announced their full support of Budget 2021, which was tabled in Dewan Rakyat last Friday. – November 10, 2020.