No necessity, reason to dissolve Perak state assembly, says MB

TAIPING: There is no necessity to dissolve the Perak state assembly as the government has strong support, including from the Opposition, says Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad (pic).

The Perak Mentri Besar said the political situation in Perak was different from that in Johor, where there had been only a slim majority, which may have led to the dissolution of the state assembly.

"I don’t know what the reason was in Johor, probably due to the slim majority. However, in Perak, I currently have strong support from parties backing the state government and also from the Opposition.

"As such, there is no reason for us to dissolve the state government because we still have time and opportunity to develop the state,” he told reporters after officiating the new netball court at the Aulong Sports Arena here Sunday (Jan 23).

He was asked to comment on the position of the Perak state government after the Johor Ruler Sultan Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Iskandar, consented to the dissolution of the Johor state assembly on Saturday (Jan 22).

In the 59-seat state assembly, the Perak government currently has the support of 36 assemblymen - 25 from Barisan Nasional (BN); Bersatu (four); PAS (three); Parti Bangsa Malaysia (three); and Independent (one).

A total of 30 seats are needed to secure a simple majority.

In another development, Saarani said he attended today’s event at the invitation of Aulong assemblyman Nga Kor Ming, who is also state DAP chairman, and not at the party’s invitation.

"Even though there are differences of opinion and views, I provide the same amount of allocation to the Opposition assemblymen to spend for the people’s needs,” he said. - Bernama