Umno wings give MB full backing

NST Online » Local News

2009/04/16

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Umno wings and divisions here are giving their full backing to Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said, days after speculation that a vote of no-confidence was to be tabled by several Barisan Nasional assemblymen at the state assembly.

State Umno liaison deputy chairman Datuk Tengku Putera Tengku Awang said Umno Youth, Puteri and Wanita, as well as leaders of eight divisions, called him to declare their support.

He said Umno members were united despite rumblings on the ground that there were now two camps.

"After the 12th general election, there were camps in the party but we reconciled. Unfortunately, this incident has made it seem that there are still camps in the party."

Tengku Putera said Umno leaders would go to the ground to explain the situation to the grassroots and clear the air.
On Wednesday, both Jertih assemblyman and former menteri besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh as well as Ajil assemblyman Datuk Rosol Wahid denied there were plans to table a vote of no confidence.

Kuala Terengganu division chief Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh said irrespective of whether they liked Ahmad or not, BN assemblymen had to put aside their differences and work for the party.

"If one feels the leadership is weak, don't weaken him further.

"Discuss the matter with him to fix the problem," he said.

Sunday April 19, 2009

MB failed to explain raft of changes, says club

By R.S.N. MURALI

KUALA TERENGGANU: Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said’s failure to explain his drastic step of removing, demoting and redesignating senior officers of state-linked companies and agencies may be one reason for his fallout with the 10 Barisan Nasional assemblymen.

Another reason, claimed the Terengganu Barisan Nasional Supporters Club, was Ahmad’s decision to stop the uniform aid to schoolchildren.

Club secretary Alias Abdullah said what Ahmad did sowed resentment on the ground.

“I don’t think ties would have soured if the Mentri Besar had briefed the state assemblymen properly on the reasons for his actions,” said Alias, who is also the Alur Limbat assemblyman.

Ahmad had earlier removed and re-designated many state senior officers. They included chief executive officers of state-owned companies, while several top government officials felt that they had been demoted when they were re-assigned to head less important agencies.

Alias said the assemblymen were also caught in a bind when they could not explain why some aid to the constituents were stopped.

He claimed that Ahmad ignored the difficult situation of the state assemblymen.

Alias said the 10 assemblymen were also upset when three of their peers received death threats purportedly originating from the Mentri Besar’s office, leading them to stay away from the second day of State Legislative Assembly proceedings.

In another development, state police chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Sukhri Dahlan said investigations into the death threats were still in progress.

Ahmad cancels Russia, Ukraine trip

NST Online » Local News

2009/04/20

Ahmad cancels Russia, Ukraine trip

KUALA TERENGGANU: Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said has cancelled a trip to Russia and Ukraine beginning today to witness a memorandum of understanding signing between the state government and several higher learning institutions there.

No official explanation has been given for the cancellation but it is widely believed to be over the on-going dispute between Ahmad and several assemblymen.

Ahmad was to have led a 16-man delegation on the 10-day trip to secure medical seats at several universities in Russia and Ukraine for state-sponsored students, as well as to meet Malaysian students there.

The delegation will now be led by state Higher Education Committee chairman Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman.

The New Straits Times learnt that the menteri besar was in Kuala Lumpur and will only return here tomorrow.
Last Tuesday, eight BN assemblymen were absent on the second day of the state assembly sitting, citing security concerns after three of them received death threats by SMS.

They, however, showed up on Wednesday after Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak ordered them to do so.

Ajil assemblyman Datuk Rosol Wahid, Datuk Din Adam (Bukit Besi), Alias Abdullah (Alur Limbat), Ramlan Ali (Jabi), Mohd Ariffin Abdullah (Paka), Muhammad Ramli Nuh (Tepoh), Mohd Zawawi Ismail (Kuala Berang) and Abdul Halim Jusoh (Permaisuri) failed to attend the sitting on the second day.

Thursday April 23, 2009

Terengganu Umno wants MB and Group of 18 to reconcile

KUALA TERENGGANU: Teren-gganu Umno has called for a truce between Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said and 18 Barisan Nasional assemblymen, known as the “Group of 18”, who are opposing him.

State Umno Liaison Committee secretary Datuk Rosli Mat Hassan said he would suggest this at the party’s monthly meeting as police had confirmed that the death threats sent via SMS to some of the assemblymen did not originate from the MB’s office.

“For unity and in the interest of the state Umno, we have to put aside our differences and reconcile. It is now proven that the SMSes were not sent by the MB’s private secretary (Wan Ahmad Wan Muda), so the squabbling must stop,” he said yesterday.

Rosli said he believed that some quarters who harboured malicious intentions were behind the SMS.

“Someone wanted to see chaos and pit the MB against the BN assemblymen,’’ he said.

Rosli said Ahmad was willing to talk with the disgruntled assemblymen.

He said the assemblymen concerned should also stop airing their grouses over the media.

He also expressed his willingness to brief the assemblymen on the rationale behind appointing a former ambulance driver as director of a state government-linked company.

“Yes, he was a driver in the late 1970s but don’t tell me he has to be in the same occupation all his life. The MB decided for him to helm the state timber corporation based on his proven track record as a businessman and not as a driver.’’

State Barisan Backbenchers Club chairman Datuk Rosol Wahid said he remained suspicious as to the source of the SMS, as the handphone number matched that of the official in the MB’s office.

Rosol, one of the assemblymen who received the threatening SMSes, said the suspect detained by police could not have cloned the handphone number of the senior official.

“Police should be commended for a good job but the question now is how come the handphone number was exactly that of the MB’s private secretary,’’ said Rosol.

Embattled MB ready to reconcile with BN 'rebels'

NST Online » Local News

2009/04/24

KUALA TERENGGANU: Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said said he would have no problems reconciling with an opposing group of state Barisan Nasional assemblymen if that was what it would take to ensure political stability and progress for the rakyat.

The embattled Kijal assemblyman said BN and Umno's struggles to uplift the status of the people were far more important than political pride.

"If we feel there are shortcomings among us, then we should address and rectify them. What is more important is the people," he told reporters after chairing an Umno state liasion committee meeting here on Wednesday night.

Ahmad is currently facing a rebellion from at least 10 BN state assemblymen who accuse him of dictatorship and making bad decisions. They want him replaced.

Political observers believe the numbers aligned to the "rebel camp" could be far higher.
The issue escalated last week when three assemblymen lodged police reports that they received threats via SMS, allegedly from one of Ahmad's senior official, not to proceed with a rumoured plan to table a motion of no-confidence against him (Ahmad) at the state assembly sitting.

The three, and the seven other "rebels", citing security concerns, boycotted the sitting the next day. However, on Tuesday night, police arrested a clerk from Seri Kembangan suspected of being the SMS sender.

The 31-year-old man is currently under investigation at the district police headquarters here, and police believe he is not linked to the menteri besar's office.

On his relationship with former menteri besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh and the rest of the opposing camp, Ahmad said on the contrary, there were no problems between them.

"I've got no problems. If I can be good friends with politicians from Pas, what more those from within Umno? They can see me anytime. My doors are always open."

Ahmad said he was facing the ongoing crisis calmly and with an open mind. He is also prepared to accept any decision made by the Umno leadership on his position.

Meanwhile, police have not ruled out more arrests if they uncover new evidence.

State CID deputy chief Superintendent K. Manoharan said the case was "high priority" due to the seriousness of the offence and the parties involved.

Friday April 24, 2009

Barisan and PAS claim they had Chinese interests at heart

KUALA TERENGGANU: The battle for Chinese votes intensified with both sides claiming to have done more for the community.

Former mentri besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said it was Barisan Nasional’s assemblymen who had blocked a land takeover bid at a Chinese temple here when the state was under PAS rule from 1996 to 2004.

Idris said a copy of the state government gazette, dated Feb 13, 2003, showed that the 450sq metre-land where the temple was situated was needed by the then state government for a flood mitigation project.

He was responding to a statement by state PAS deputy commissioner Datuk Wan Mutalib Embong, who told reporters earlier that PAS never intended to take over the temple.

Idris said PAS had done little for the people of Terengganu when it was in power. “But when we took over the government, we brought down the poverty rate by more than half, from over 15% to 6.5% in 2007.

“We also managed to improve the per capita income for the people in the state from RM1,984 to RM2,463 in the same period.”

He said the state government also wanted to take over 400sq metres of land in Balik Bukit where the state Mardi building stood.

Idris said the community would not be swayed by PAS’ promises now.

SENARAI PENGERUSI, TIMBALAN UMNO NEGERI

BERIKUT ialah senarai Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan Umno Negeri diumumkan hari ini:

PERLIS:

Pengerusi: Datuk Seri Md Isa Sabu (muka baru)

Timbalan Pengerusi: Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin

KEDAH:

Pengerusi: Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (muka baru)

Timbalan Pengerusi: Datuk Paduka Ahmad Bashah

PULAU PINANG:

Pengerusi: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (muka baru)

Timbalan Pengerusi: Datuk Zainal Abidin Othman

PERAK:

Pengerusi: Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir (muka baru)

Timbalan Pengerusi: Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanazlah

SELANGOR:

Pengerusi: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (muka baru)

Timbalan Pengerusi: Datuk Noh Omar

WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN:

Pengerusi: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (muka baru)

Timbalan Pengerusi: Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abdidin

NEGERI SEMBILAN:

Pengerusi: Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan

Timbalan Pengerusi: Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor

MELAKA:

Pengerusi: Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam

Timbalan Pengerusi: Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop

JOHOR:

Pengerusi: Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman

Timbalan Pengerusi: Datuk Dr. Latif Ahmad

PAHANG:

Pengerusi: Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob

Timbalan Pengerusi: Shakar Samsudin

TERENGGANU:

Pengerusi: Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein (muka baru)

Timbalan Pengerusi: Datuk Ahmad Said

KELANTAN:

Pengerusi: Datuk Mustapa Mohamed (muka baru)

Timbalan Pengerusi: Datuk Dr. Awang Adek Hussein

SABAH:

Pengerusi: Datuk Seri Musa Aman

Timbalan Pengerusi: Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak