MB huddles with PM, DPM over Terengganu assembly fiasco

PUTRAJAYA, Thurs (NST): Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said met today Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin over the dispute among the state Barisan Nasional back-benchers. He was seen entering the fifth floor of the Prime Minister’s Office about noon, accompanied by a few officers.

Reporters covering a meeting between Najib, who is also BN chairman and Umno president, and Malaysian Golf Association leaders over the national junior development programme, saw Ahmad walking into a guest room.

Minutes later, Muhyiddin, who is Umno deputy president, walked into the same room and was greeted by Ahmad.
The two of them later went to see Najib. Contacted after the meeting, Ahmad refused comment.

In the morning, former Terengganu menteri besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh was also seen entering the Prime Minister’s Office about 11am. He left about 30 minutes later.

The separate meetings are believed to have been held by Najib and Muhyiddin to resolve the dispute between Ahmad and other BN backbenchers.
Eight BN assemblymen were absent at Tuesday’s Terengganu assembly sitting allegedly following death threats sent to several members.
They showed up on Wednesday after Najib instructed them to do so.

Ajil assemblyman Datuk Rosol Wahid, along with seven other BN assemblymen, Datuk Din Adam (Bukit Besi), Alias Abdullah (Alur Limbat), Ramlan Ali (Jabi), Mohd Ariffin Abdullah (Paka), Muhammad Ramli Nuh (Tepoh), Mohd Zawawi Ismail (Kuala Berang) and Abdul Halim Jusoh (Permaisuri), failed to attend the sitting on the second day.

Rosol told the New Straits Times that he and the seven BN backbenchers would leave it to the leadership to settle the dispute.
He said he and other assemblymen had lost faith in Ahmad due to “various problems and weaknesses” in his leadership.

“There are just too many problems which reflect his weaknesses in administering the state. There are also endless problems with the operations of government-linked companies. We want him to be replaced. It is up to the leaders to decide but we have made our intention clear,” he said.

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Political storm looks to be brewing in Terengganu

KUALA TERENGGANU (The Star): A political storm is brewing in Terengganu after 10 Barisan Nasional assemblymen stayed away from the second sitting of the State Assembly yesterday.

The official reason given was that they feared for their safety after three of them claimed to have received death threats via SMS.

Unoccupied: Backbencher Nawi Mohamad (BN – Hulu Besut) sitting among the empty chairs as 10 of his colleagues decided to stay away from the State Assembly sitting yesterday. On the right are exco members Rozi Mamat (front) and Dr Abdul Rahman Mokhtar.

However, there were also suggestions that they were staging a boycott in apparent protest against the leadership of Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said.

In the past week, talk had been rife that the Barisan assemblymen would move a motion of no-confidence against Ahmad when the assembly convened on Monday.

Ahmad had earlier warned the assemblymen not to table such a motion against him as this could taint the image of the state Barisan.

He also threatened to sack those who defied his order.

State Backbenchers Club chairman Datuk Rosol Wahid said the 10 assemblymen – all backbenchers – decided to stay away from the assembly because of “safety factors” after alleged death threats were received yesterday morning.

“We are not boycotting the assembly. We decided to gather at a hotel because we are very afraid,” he said at the hotel.

He claimed that all 10 had applied for leave.

The three who claimed to have received death threats, said to have originated from Ahmad’s private secretary Wan Ahamad Wan Muda, were Rosol, Paka assemblyman Zakaria Ariffin and Permaisuri assemblyman Halim Jusoh.

Wan Ahamad later denied sending the SMS and lodged a police report at the state police headquarters.

One of the assemblymen, who declined to be named, however, said that there was a boycott of the assembly.

“The Mentri Besar should resign. We do not intend to table a motion of no-confidence against him at the assembly but he should get the message that he is not favoured by Barisan assemblymen,” he said.

Besides Rosol, Zakaria and Halim, the others who stayed away were Tepoh assemblyman Muhammad Ramli Noh, Mohd Zawawi Ismail (Kuala Berang), Datuk Din Adam (Bukit Besi), Alias Abdullah (Alor Limbat), Ramlan Ali (Jabi) and Mohd Pehimi Yusof (Kota Putera).

Muhammad Ramli later said that all 10 would attend the sitting today.

There are 13 backbenchers and 10 exco members, including Ahmad, in the assembly. The Opposition has eight members, all of them from PAS.

All Opposition members, including PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, were present.

Despite the boycott, the assembly, however, continued as usual.

Ahmad, when approached by reporters during a break, said he was shocked that the assemblymen had resorted to such action.

“I will contact them to find out why they did this. As Mentri Besar, it is my duty to find out the rationale of the 10 for doing this,” he said.

When asked about the death threats sent to three representatives via SMS, Ahmad said he had no knowledge of it.

Ahmad’s appointment as Mentri Besar after the 2008 general election was controversial from the beginning as it was not the original choice of the Barisan, which had chosen former mentri besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh.

Ahmad was, however, sworn in and then prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi later said that the Barisan would accept him as Mentri Besar.

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DUN Terengganu: Jangan biar perselisihan jejas pembangunan negeri

Semua pihak disaran laksana agenda manfaat rakyat

KUALA TERENGGANU (Berita Harian): Tanggungjawab membangunkan negeri hendaklah dipikul secara berganding bahu oleh semua pihak, termasuk pemimpin masyarakat, politik, badan sukarela dan orang perseorangan bagi memastikan agenda pembangunan negeri dapat memanfaatkan rakyat.

Yang Dipertua Majlis Penasihat Pemangku Raja (MPPR), Tengku Seri Panglima Raja Tengku Baderuzaman Sultan Mahmud, berkata semua pihak disaran memastikan proses pembangunan negeri tidak dicacatkan dengan sebarang perselisihan pendapat yang boleh menjejaskan rakyat.

Beliau berkata, jika terdapat perselisihan pendapat dan isu, ia hendaklah diselesaikan dengan segera melalui kaedah yang tidak memecahbelahkan rakyat seperti menerusi perbincangan dan rundingan supaya keharmonian dan keamanan dapat dikekalkan.

“Suasana kehidupan aman damai perlu dikekalkan. Kita sentiasa berdoa supaya pergaduhan dan kekacauan yang boleh merencatkan proses pembangunan negeri tidak akan berlaku di negeri ini yang mana akhirnya rakyat akan menerima akibatnya.

“Kita gembira apabila Menteri Besar dan kerajaan negeri memperkenalkan hala tuju pembangunan bertema ‘Merakyatkan Pentadbiran dan Pembangunan’ yang mana setiap aktiviti dilaksanakan oleh kerajaan mesti berpaksikan kepada rakyat.

“Konsep pembangunan ini diharap dapat diterapkan kepada semua pihak sama ada kakitangan kerajaan, ahli politik dan pihak berkepentingan serta rakyat demi memastikan agenda pembangunan negeri terus terlaksana,” katanya pada Istiadat Pembukaan Penggal Persidangan Kedua Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Ke-12 di sini, semalam.

Beliau berkata, dalam meneruskan pelan pembangunan negeri, keseimbangan antara pembangunan fizikal dan spiritual perlu seimbang dan penekanan terhadap aspek penerapan nilai murni dan akhlak mulia di kalangan masyarakat perlu dilakukan.

Katanya, usaha ke arah membangunkan negeri tidak akan berjaya tanpa komitmen, penerimaan dan kesediaan bekerjasama daripada semua pihak termasuk rakyat.

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