Ahmad to step down as MB

Bid adieu: Ahmad shows off his inked finger after casting his vote at SMK Kampung Laut in Tumpat, Kelantan.

KOTA BARU: Datuk Ahmad Yakob is stepping down from the Kelantan Mentri Besar post that he had held for two terms since May 6, 2013, due to health reasons.

“I don’t want to be Mentri Besar anymore because I suffered two falls recently, which possibly caused a slipped disc, and I also have heart problems,” Ahmad, 73, told reporters at SMK Kampung Laut voting station in Tumpat.

He said he had informed PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang early in the year that he would like to step down from his position as Mentri Besar.

Asked about the new candidate for the post, Ahmad, who is the state PAS commissioner, said it would be decided after the state election, in which he was defending his Pasir Pekan seat.

“The PAS president will choose at least three Mentri Besar candidates and send them to the Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Muhammad V, for approval,” he said.

Ahmad added that the state’s new Mentri Besar should persevere through any challenges in their way.

He also said he isn’t aware of any speculation about the Deputy Mentri Besar post and said his caretaker deputy Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah would know best.

On Friday, PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, in a statement, said the PAS-led Kelantan government was expected to have a new combination of Mentri Besar and Deputy Mentri Besar after this state election.

He said the new leadership combination would be a religious figure and a technocrat, subject to the mandate of the people and the consent of the Sultan of Kelantan.