Newly-minted Menteri Besar of Perak, Ahmad Faizal Azumu held his first media conference at the State Secretariat Building, Ipoh on Monday, May 14. He spoke at length about his plans for the betterment of Perak in line with the vision of his party, Pakatan Harapan (PH) helmed by Tun Mahathir Mohamad.
Mahathir’s coalition of four political parties, Pakatan Rakyat, Democratic Action Party, Amanah Negara and Parti Pribumi Bersatu defeated Umno-led Barisan Nasional at the 14th General Elections on Wednesday, May 9.
In Perak PH won 13 parliamentary seats to BN’s 11. In the state assembly, PH won 29 seats to BN’s 27. PAS won 3 seats.
The crossover by two BN assemblymen, sealed the fate of the longest-ruling coalition party in Perak.
Here are Ahmad Faizal’s responses to the questions fielded by Ipoh Echo’s reporter, Ili Aqilah:
IE: Are you going to review ongoing projects by MB Incorporated (MB Inc)?
Faizal: We’ll review all projects by MB Inc and if they’re beneficial for Perakeans we’ll continue with some adjustments, of course.
IE: What about Yayasan Bina Upaya? Are you going to continue with the Foundation’s plans or scrap it altogether?
Faizal: Since Yayasan Bina Upaya is focused on the less fortunate, we’ll continue with the Foundation’s plans. Nonetheless, we’ll review them accordingly.
IE: What are your plans to uplift Perak’s economic status, as Perak is long considered as one of the poorest states in the country?
Faizal: My main focus, presently is to fulfil Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto as enumerated by Tun Dr Mahathir in his campaign speeches.
The new MB did not fully answer Ipoh Echo’s question regarding Perakeans’ fear of his party’s becoming a BN 02 with the crossover of two BN assemblymen. His main priority was fulfilling PH’s manifesto within the 100 days period, as promised by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir.
Fathol Zaman
