Is PN consensus worth sacrificing for positions? - Ousted Perak MB asks Umno

Ousted Perak menteri besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu said he recognised the fact that all parties within Perikatan Nasional (PN) wanted more positions in government but questioned if they were worth sacrificing the PN consensus.

This, Ahmad Faizal said, was something that Umno should reflect on. Bersatu, too, wants as many positions as possible. So do PAS and Umno.

"But sometimes we need to sacrifice our desires in order to cooperate and form a stable government.

"It is true that (positions) is what Umno wants but is it so important that we sacrifice the principles of consensus which we have built through PN?" the Bersatu deputy president told a press conference in Ipoh today.

Ahmad Faizal was responding to Umno's instruction to only seek a replacement of the menteri besar while maintaining the current Umno-dominated exco line-up.

Yesterday, Ahmad Faizal lost a confidence vote initiated by Umno in the Perak state assembly.

Ahmad Faizal only received the support of 10 assemblypersons in a confidence vote while 48 others voted against him.

Twenty-four opposition representatives voted against Faizal and were also joined by another 24 Umno assemblypersons even though Umno and Bersatu are part of the same government.

Perak Umno leader Nazri Abdul Aziz had said among the reasons why Umno moved to oust Faizal was due to disagreements over the appointment of village chiefs.

It is unclear if Umno will attempt to take over the menteri besar position or whether Bersatu will be allowed to retain it with another candidate. Negotiations are still ongoing.

Asked about the upcoming formation of a new government, Ahmad Faizal said Bersatu would consider the interest of PN.

He added that the opposition, which voted against him, already got "what it wanted" and should not impede governance.