This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on February 3, 2016.

ALOR SETAR: Kedah opposition assemblymen made their stand known to the state Regency Council over Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir yesterday, saying they did not agree with the way Umno was trying to remove the menteri besar and urged that the matter be resolved by voting in the state legislative assembly.

PAS’ Alor Mengkudu assemblyman Ahmad Yahya said the opposition representatives had come to a consensus that if Mukhriz had to be removed, it should be at the legislature.

“Up to them who don’t have confidence to put in their votes when the sitting is called,” he told reporters outside Wisma Darul Aman in Alor Star, Kedah.

Ahmad, however, would not state explicitly if this meant the opposition assembly members were throwing their support behind Mukhriz as menteri besar.

Ahmad said it was up to others to interpret the matter and maintained that the opposition was objecting to how Mukhriz was being removed.

He said all opposition assemblymen were in agreement that the approach taken by Kedah Umno to oust the first term menteri besar was not proper.

He was referring state Umno deputy chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah who led a press conference of Kedah Umno leaders on Jan 20 to declare their loss of confidence in Mukhriz’s leadership.

The opposition has 15 assemblymen in the Kedah legislature, of which eight are from PAS, four from PKR, two from DAP and one from Parti Amanah Negara.

Barisan Nasional has 21 assemblymen.

The opposition members also said they hoped the revolt could be resolved immediately to prevent disruption to the running of the state administration.

They also thanked the Regency Council for holding audience to allow the opposition reps to speak their thoughts on the issue.

The three members of the Kedah Regency Council are its chairman Tunku Temenggong Tan Sri Tunku Sallehuddin Ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah; Tunku Laksamana Datuk Seri Diraja Tunku Abdul Hamid Thani Ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah and the Sultan of Kedah’s eldest daughter, Tengku Panglima Besar Datuk Seri Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz. — The Malaysian Insider