Letter Of Appointment For Perlis MB Handed To Shahidan, Says Abdullah

Letter Of Appointment For Perlis MB Handed To Shahidan, Says Abdullah
Posted by kasee
Friday, 14 March 2008, MT

PUTRAJAYA, March 14 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Friday he handed to Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim the letter enabling his appointment as the menteri besar of Perlis and the formation of the state executive council.

"I handed the letter of appointment to Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, who is the chairman of the Perlis Barisan Nasional (BN) liaison committee, who had won (in the recent general election).

"The letter of appointment had to be presented to His Royal Highness the Raja of Perlis so that he (Shahidan) can be appointed the menteri besar and form the Perlis state government," he told Bernama in an interview at Seri Perdana, the prime minister's official residence.

Abdullah said this when asked to comment on a statement by the Raja of Perlis' private secretary Moh Adib Zakaria earlier today announcing that the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail, had given his consent for the appointment of Bintong state assemblyman Datuk Dr Md Isa Sabu as the menteri besar of Perlis.

Moh Adib said Article 39 (2) of the Laws of the Constitution of Perlis state that the ruler shall appoint a person who he thinks has the confidence of the majority of the members of the state assembly to become the menteri besar to head the state government.

"Based on this provision and after being satisfied with his ability to garner the support of the majority of the state assemblymen, His Royal Highness has consented to appoint Datuk Dr Md Isa Sabu as the Menteri Besar of Perlis effective March 14 2008," he had said.

The decision of the Raja of Perlis has raised questions among the people of the state because the BN, which won in Perlis in the general election, wanted another person to be made the menteri besar and the decision of the prime minister as the BN chairman in the government administration of a constitutional monarchy should be respected.

Asked about a statement by Shahidan today that he did not dismiss the possibility of being in opposition to the state government helmed by Md Isa, Abdullah said: "I did not hear of Shahidan saying that. I was just on the telephone with him and he did not mention anything (to that effect)."

Shahidan had also said that the appointment of Md Isa did not have the recognition of the BN government led by Abdullah.