Betrayal and power struggle in Perlis

The next mentri besar will be stepping into an office embroiled in accusations of betrayal, problems with the palace and cracks between PAS and Bersatu

IT was one of those badly kept secrets that Mohd Shukri Ramil, who resigned as Perlis Mentri Besar on Thursday (Dec 25), had been out of favour with the palace since 2023.

But Shukri dug his heels in, ignoring calls to step down in spite of clear signals from the palace for him to be replaced.

In hindsight, it was quite unrealistic to expect the former school teacher who led PAS to victory in Perlis in the general election to let go after just a year in the prestigious office. Perikatan Nasional had swept up 14 of the 15 state seats and all three parliament seats in this tiny state.

However, those in the know said an agreement was struck for Shukri to step down after three years, or more specifically, after the Sabah state elections. He would also be allowed to pick his successor.

But the Sabah polls came and went with no sign of Shukri going anywhere. That was when things started moving behind the scenes.

Shukri returned from Shanghai two weeks ago to news that nine of the 15 assemblymen in the state had signed statutory declarations indicating he had lost their support. It was akin to a vote of no confidence.

Five of them were from Bersatu, one from PKR and three from his own party PAS, which was like a stab in the back.

PAS leaders must have felt the knife twist when they learnt Bersatu had also submitted three names from among its assemblymen for the palace to consider as the next mentri besar.

Shukri reportedly went from the airport into the hospital, citing chest pains. He was discharged a few days later and resigned on Christmas day. It was an inglorious exit.

But it was his party’s sacking of the three PAS assemblymen who joined the coup that sent shockwaves through the party.

PAS central committee member Dr Haim Hilman defended it as a powerful reminder to all PAS leaders that the party does not tolerate actions that threaten stability, unity or public trust.

“The party will not compromise on values for political convenience,” said Dr Haim who is a Kedah executive councillor.

There was also anger, frustration and a sense of betrayal on the part of PAS about its partner Bersatu.

The party had called for by-elections even though the time limit for by-elections had expired. It was to put its support to the test and demonstrate that voters do not approve of backdoor tactics.

Shukri’s troubles actually began after his son Mohd Shafeeq was named in a corruption case involving false expenditure claims in 2023. Mohd Shafeeq, in his thirties, is married to the daughter of PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang.

The scandal took a sensational turn when it was reported that the allegations involved supplying more than RM19,000 worth of mineral water to the Raja of Perlis who was recuperating in hospital which the palace has denied receiving.

Shukri also did not endear himself to the sovereign when audio recordings of some remarks he made about the palace were leaked.

“The remarks were not irreverent, but his ties with the palace were so bad by then that it was probably taken out of context,” said a well-placed political source from Perlis.

The fact that the palace ignored Shukri for three straight years when conferring titles and awards also spoke volumes of where he stood in the eyes of the palace.

The optics are not good for PAS which is still struggling to convince Malaysians that the party has what it takes to rule the country.

PAS leaders are prone to this holier-than-thou attitude but is the party that different from other political parties? There is also corruption, nepotism and poor managerial skills.

Teaching is a noble profession but it did not equip Shukri for the challenge of managing the state.

“The party has too many ulama but not enough professionals. Shukri was probably the best that they had,” said an Umno figure from Perlis.

Besides, no one has been able to fill the big shoes left behind by former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim who left Umno to join PAS in 2022.

Shahidan is still a larger-than-life presence in Perlis. Almost every household in his Arau constituency owns an appliance such as a rice cooker or table fan, courtesy of his generosity.

Everyone who spoke about Shukri has described him as nice, soft-spoken and polite. If he is really all of that, how could he have suffered a string of defeats in the party the past one year?

Many were shocked when Shukri lost the Arau division chairman post to a clerk by a massive majority.

More shock followed when he failed to win a central committee seat in the PAS national election a few months ago and was subsequently replaced as the Perlis PAS chief.

The writing was on the wall after those embarrassing defeats.

The reason why Shukri managed to hold on for three years was also because there was no other suitable candidate to replace him.

Bersatu has been painted as the bad guy and a disloyal friend and PAS leaders want Bersatu to act against its assemblymen.

At the same time, it is widely known that the nine assemblymen were called to the hospital’s royal ward for an audience with the sovereign more than a week ago. One of the assemblymen was about to board a flight at the airport when asked to turn up.

Sources said that among those present were the state legal advisor and a High Court judge.

They subsequently signed the statutory declarations in front of the sovereign.

The palace had given space and time for Perikatan to propose a new man for the job two years ago but PAS, for reasons of its own, dragged its feet.

It is not as though PAS is unfamiliar with the role of the palace when it comes to appointing a mentri besar. They have had ample experience in Kelantan where the party’s preference for mentri besar was not  always accepted by the palace.

What on earth made them think they could do it differently in Perlis?

What happened has been a setback for Perikatan’s national ambitions.

The views expressed here are the author's own.