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KUALA LUMPUR – Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad has dismissed allegations that he had colluded with Pakatan Harapan (PH) to retain his position and form a political alignment between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Perak.
Defending himself against accusations that he was a traitor, Saarani, who is the state BN chairman, said the decision was made to ensure the Perak government was stable and well-governed right after the 15th general election (GE15) was completed.
He said allegations of being a traitor and other negative comments, including those from PAS, were baseless as the decision was taken in the interest of the state and the people.
“What is most important for me is to be able to make right and accurate decisions. That is what I believe in. So why say I’m a traitor? I did not join DAP, PH, or PKR.
“I was invited to form the Perak government although I was prepared to be in the opposition. PH has 24 seats and Perikatan Nasional has 26, making it a total of 50 – and they were able to become a strong government as they have more than two-thirds,” he told Mingguan Malaysia in a recent interview.
Last Monday, Saarani was sworn in as Perak menteri besar after PH agreed to accept Barisan Nasional as a coalition partner to form the state government.
The combination of 24 state assembly seats from PH and another nine seats from BN enabled the Perak government to be formed.
Saarani said the new political alignment between BN and PH will compromise and find common grounds to develop Perak.
He said several agreements have since been reached among the state executive council (exco) members, one of them being the name of the state government.
“So far, the exco has agreed to use the term ‘Perak state government’ instead of the term PH plus BN government or vice versa. I’m sure we can have different opinions, but attention must be given to matters involving the development of the state for the well-being of the people,” he said.
Saarani said the party also rejected any concerns that arose from the cooperation of the two coalitions.
“If we start looking for differences and mistakes, then the desire to develop the state will not be achieved. So I don’t see it as something worrying,” he added. – The Vibes, November 27, 2022