PERIKATAN Nasional’s (PN) crisis with coalition partner Barisan Nasional (BN) now includes Perak, where an Umno assemblyman has filed a confidence motion against Perak Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu.

According to a letter sighted by The Malaysian Insight, Umno’s Pengkalan Baru assemblyman Abdul Manaf Hashim has requested the Perak state assembly to test Faizal’s support in the silver state.

Manaf’s motion reads as follows: “That the Perak state assembly allows a motion in accordance with Perak Assembly Standing Orders 27(3) to resolve that Chenderiang assemblyman Ahmad Faizal Azumu has the confidence of the Perak assemblymen to be menteri besar.”

Last week, at the national level, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also called on the government to allow Parliament to debate a confidence motion against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. 

Faizal, who is also Bersatu’s Tambun MP, had irked Umno when he failed to consult the party when he appointed Umno’s Pengkalan Hulu assemblyman Aznel Ibrahim as his political secretary. 

Faizal subsequently brushed off talk that Perak Umno is conspiring to oust him.

The Bersatu deputy president had initially resigned as Perak menteri besar after his party withdrew from the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, triggering the collapse of the Perak state government. 

Despite Bersatu having just five assemblymen to Umno’s 25 and PAS’ three, Faizal was reappointed in March after PN took over the state.

The PN government is currently supported by eight PN assemblymen and 25 from BN, and also has support from one Gerakan assemblyman and one independent in the 59-seat state assembly.

The opposition in Perak is made up of 24 assemblymen in PH – DAP (16), Amanah (5) and PKR (3).

The Perak state assembly sitting is scheduled to start on December 4 and is expected to sit for five days. – November 26, 2020.