KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 — The move to oust Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu as Perak mentri besar was taken for the benefit of the people, DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) chief Howard Lee Chuan How has said.
In a statement issued late last night, he alleged that greed led to Ahmad Faizal’s downfall, along with a deteriorating performance under the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) government, which was contrary to his behaviour during the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.
“Perhaps many do not realise that Ahmad Faizal’s performance was deteriorating and he was getting greedy under the PPBM government, compared to the PH era when he was reined in from any abuse of power,” Lee said.
Malaysians were unhappy with the change of power in Perak earlier this month, as they felt it showed politicians remain focused on power struggles rather than bread-and-butter issues during this time of pandemic.
Perak’s Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah even went as far as to say he took no pride in appointing the state’s third mentri besar since the conclusion of the 14th general election in 2018.
The Sultan also said this was a reflection of failure in the Perak Legislative Assembly.
In his statement, Lee gave three reasons to explain why the Opposition has a stronger voice now that Ahmad Faizal is no longer Perak mentri besar.
Firstly, all districts represented in the State Assembly will get a fair allocation irrespective of whether their elected representative is aligned with the government or a member of the Opposition.
“The allocation can only be used for the respective district’s public programmes and is not to be pocketed by the state assemblyman,” Lee added.
Secondly, all 59 districts will sit on the District Action Committee which is the highest authority on local issues. The same goes for the focus group for the eradication of poverty and the district natural disaster committee.
Thirdly, the state government agreed to amend the Standing Order in the State Assembly to enable the chairman of the state’s Public Accounts Committee to be elected from among the Opposition.
“This is an institutional reform towards making the state of Perak a world-class democracy.
“The role of the Opposition leader in the State Assembly has also officially been recognised and its financial implications will be reflected in Budget 2021 and it will also be recorded in the State Assembly’s standing orders,” he added.
Lee said the people of Perak will also start to see their issues and concerns being handled more efficiently from now on.
Perak lawmakers ousted Ahmad Faizal, who is a Bersatu deputy president, as the mentri besar of the state under the guise of a confidence motion against him on December 4, which he then lost 48-10.
His successor, Datuk Saarani Mohamad, was sworn in as the 14th Perak mentri besar on December 10.
Saarani is the Kota Tampan assemblyman and Perak Umno chairman.