Final straw that turned Perak Umno against Faizal happened 2 months ago
The ousting of Bersatu's Ahmad Faizal Azumu as Perak menteri besar today appears to have been set in motion two months ago.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Perak Umno leader Nazri Abdul Aziz said that was when the final straw came.
"The final straw was Faizal's appointment of (Umno's Pengkalan Hulu assemblyperson) Aznel Ibrahim as his political secretary without consulting us.
"That was a sore point for us," the Padang Rengas Umno chief said when contacted.
Aznel was sworn in as Faizal's political secretary on Oct 15, only two days after Umno's Political Bureau announced that the party was considering withdrawing support for Perikatan Nasional besides setting new terms for cooperation with Bersatu.
Perak Umno chief Saarani Mohamad claimed that by appointing Aznel, Ahmad Faizal had disrespected Umno and the spirit of cooperation among the ruling parties.
The appointment of Aznel was brought up during today's debate on the motion of confidence for Ahmad Faizal at the state legislative assembly sitting. Ahmad Faisal lost the vote of confidence.
Besides that, Nazri said there were still unresolved issues regarding the appointment and allotment of posts for village chiefs.
He dismissed speculation that the move to oust Faizal was a trade-off to placate Umno so that Bersatu could keep control of Sabah.
"That's rubbish, that's a lie. I sit in Perak Umno and we have our own agenda that's not connected to any federal bargaining," he said.
Umno is the biggest party in Perak, with 25 seats. Bersatu only has six seats.
Likewise, in the Sabah ruling coalition, Umno is the biggest party with 14 seats.
Sabah Bersatu has 11 seats but when combined with ally Star, they command 17 seats as Perikatan Nasional.
Umno had eyed the Sabah chief minister's post but it was ultimately filled by Bersatu.
With Faizal out of the picture, Perak Umno will now look to avoid a repeat of what happened in Sabah.
Pasir Salak Umno chief Tajuddin Abdul Rahman told news portal FMT that the Perak menteri besar's position should go to the party.
“We have the lion’s share (of assemblypersons). But it is still the prerogative of the sultan (to decide)," he said.
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