Razif likely to be new Terengganu MB

PUTRAJAYA: It is almost certain that Terengganu’s Seberang Takir assemblyman Datuk Abdul Razif Abdul Rahman (pic) will be the state’s new Mentri Besar.

Sources told The Star that Abdul Razif, who is also a state executive councillor, had been asked to be on standby to receive the appointment letter from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

They said that the instruction for Abdul Razif to be on standby meant that he should be in Kuala Lumpur to receive the letter at a moment’s notice.

Abdul Razif was in Kuala Terengganu to attend the weekly exco meeting yesterday.

“He left for Kuala Lumpur in the evening. He received a call from Putrajaya on Tuesday night asking him to be in Kuala Lumpur today,” added the sources.

Abdul Razif, 49, is one of two assemblymen said to be the new Mentri Besar replacing Datuk Seri Ahmad Said.

The other is 45-year-old Air Putih assemblyman Wan Hakim Wan Ahmad.

The change in Terengganu came about after Ahmad signed a letter agreeing that he would stay on for only a year after Barisan Nasional almost lost the state in the last general election.

Barisan only won 17 state seats against Pakatan Rakyat’s 15 seats while it managed to win half of the eight parliamentary seats.

Najib had given Ahmad a one-year grace period after the elections because he wanted the Terengganu leader to have a “soft landing”.

Putrajaya sources had told The Star that Ahmad signed the letter about two weeks after the May 5 elections.

The letter, which is only two paragraphs long, stated that Ahmad would step down as Mentri Besar and state Umno chairman after a year and on a date to be determined by Najib.

Sources in Terengganu said there was a strong feeling among the exco members and senior officials that it would be getting a new Mentri Besar very soon.

The feeling was so strong that they believed that Ahmad had chaired his last exco meeting yesterday.

When approached by reporters, Ahmad gave his famous two-word answer: “No comment.”

However, those familiar with Ahmad’s body language said the “no comment” reply actually meant that he was not denying anything.

“He is trying his best to accept the inevitable. After all, no MB would openly confirm that he is being removed mid-term,” said the sources.