SHAH ALAM, Oct 21 — Terengganu MB Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar has said that the four states governed by Perikatan Nasional (PN) dubbed “SG4” are open to viewpoints and opinions as their administrations are above politics.
He also said that PAS is confident that the relationships between the four states and the federal government would not be affected despite naming Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as their adviser.
“I was also asked previously why this matter would involve Tun Dr Mahathir, and I said that this is an added value that we would like to achieve. I am open to receiving any advice or opinions from anyone even if it's from Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang.
“This is an issue that transcends politics because if we only talk about politics all the time, we won't achieve anything,” he told reporters at the sidelines of PAS' 69th Muktamar or annual congress here.
Lim was formerly the DAP Parliamentary chief and Opposition leader, and was a longstanding critic of PAS. He retired from active politics last year.
Adding more, Samsuri said Malaysia is now facing various issues that need to be resolved, and the political approach needs to be re-examined to address these.
The PAS vice-president added that some matters require a non-partisan approach and non-political commitments from various parties.
“Any added value that we can achieve, regardless of its source, should be welcomed,” he said.
However, he further said that it is still early to measure the achievements of the SG4 and that they are still in the exploration phase.
“One thing we cannot deny is that we are still under federal authority, and there are matters under federal jurisdiction.
“We have never overhauled what has been agreed upon by the federal government. We will continue to enhance our capabilities while maintaining continuous cooperation with the federal government,” he said.
On September 15, PN chose Dr Mahathir to be the unofficial adviser to the four states under its control.