Perlis Umno to submit 11 names, including Shahidan, for new MB (Updated)

KANGAR: The state Umno will submit 11 names to the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Syed Jamalullail, to be considered for the post of mentri besar, its state liaison deputy chairman Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin said today.
The candidates will include state Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, Zahidi himself, and the remaining nine Umno state assemblymen.
Both Shahidan (Arau MP) and Zahidi (MP for Padang Besar) are not state assemblymen, but Zahidi claims the state constitution allows an MP to be the mentri besar if there is consent from the palace.
Article 39 (4) of the Perlis constitution allows the ruler, at his discretion, to depart from any conditions in the constitution and appoint any individual as mentri besar.
The political impasse in Perlis is in its 20th day, with no clear solution in sight.
Zahidi said earlier that the nine Perlis Barisan Nasional (BN) elected representatives who skipped the swearing-in ceremony of Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man last week, plan to issue an apology to Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin when they are granted an audience.
Despite winning 10 of the 15 state seats (Pakatan won the remaining two and PAS three), BN has not been able to form a state government.
Azlan has continued to go about his duties as mentri besar, but he has no functioning state government as he is unable to appoint state executive councillors from among the 10 BN assemblymen.
"We have conveyed our sincere and kind intentions to palace officials and hopefully on Friday, we will be able to meet (Tuanku) to clarify things and also issue an apology if we had slighted anybody," Zahidi said.
The planned meeting with the ruler will be attended by Shahidan, Zahidi, the nine assemblymen and Titi Tinggi assemblyman Teh Chai Aan from MCA.
"It is not that we have gone against the palace. No politician would ever want to be on the wrong side of their respective ruler," Zahidi said, adding that the dispute that Umno has is with Azlan.
He claimed that since being mentri besar from 2013 until last month, Azlan had never attended a single state Umno liaison committee meeting.
"He makes all decisions unilaterally, so we feel it is inappropriate if he is mentri besar again," said Zahidi, adding that at this juncture, Perlis Umno cannot forgive Azlan for allegedly going rogue.
At press time, efforts to reach Azlan for comment on Zahidi's allegations were unsuccessful.