ANY decision on the Perak political crisis now lies with the leadership of each political party, said Hishammuddin Hussein. 

“I think the Perak issue has played its course. That one (decision on Perak) you have to wait and see what decision comes out from the leadership of each party,” the Barisan Nasional (BN) treasurer-general told reporters when met at Umno headquarters following a BN supreme council meeting tonight. 

The Umno leader said the Perak issue was not discussed in detail by the council but it focused more on party matters. 

He did not want to be drawn further on the matter and told reporters to refer to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on the matter.

Umno is pushing for its candidate to be made the next menteri besar of the state.

Zahid was granted an audience by the sultan of Perak this morning and said he had presented the ruler with the name of the party’s candidate for menteri besar, but did not name the lawmaker.

The menteri besar post in Perak fell vacant after Bersatu’s Ahmad Faizal Azumu resigned after losing a vote of confidence in the state assembly on Friday. The motion was filed by a BN assemblyman.

Only 10 votes were for Faizal to 48 against and one abstention. 

Today, it was reported that Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah remains unconvinced that any party has majority support in the state legislative assembly.  

Dewan Negara Perak member Mohd Annuar Zaini told reporters that party leaders who were summoned to the palace to meet Sultan Nazrin have not been able to convince the ruler.

The ruler today had an audience with representatives from Umno and Perak Pakatan Harapan.

PAS, meanwhile, called off its appointment with the ruler on the order of the party’s leadership.

Bersatu has also reportedly been summoned.

Thirty is the simple majority in the 59-seat Perak state assembly made up of Barisan Nasional (25), DAP (16), Amanah (5), Bersatu (5), PKR (3), PAS (3), Gerakan (1) and independent (1).

Following Faizal’s ouster, Islamist party PAS said it will not be involved in efforts to form a new Perak government.

When asked on BN’s stand on PAS, Hishammuddin said it was for the party’s president to comment and not him. 

Earlier today, Zahid said the party’s Perak menteri besar candidate has sufficient support to form the new government.

This, he said, is because PAS and Bersatu have agreed to back Umno’s candidate as the menteri besar and form the government. – December 8, 2020.