GEORGE TOWN, Jan 25 — Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir should initiate a vote of confidence in his administration to end the state’s leadership crisis decisively, said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Such a vote would demonstrate whether Mukhriz has lost the confidence of the majority of state lawmakers as his detractors claim or end their bid to oust him from office once and for all, said the DAP secretary-general.

“Mukhriz should call for a no-confidence motion and let it be decided in the state assembly,” he said in a press conference at his office today.

“It is up to him to decide and it is a good way to see whether he gets the support of the state assemblymen, he needs at least 19 to be on his side,” he said.

Lim said this would be the most objective solution given a report in the New Straits Times today alleging that the 19 Kedah assemblymen have signed statutory declarations renouncing support for Mukhriz.

When asked whether DAP state assemblymen in Kedah will vote for or against Mukhriz’s removal as mentri besar, Lim said they want to first see the options available.

“Let Mukhriz call for a no-confidence vote first, let’s get to part one first, and then only we talk about part two,” he said.

He added that the state legislative assembly is the best place to resolve the Umno political crisis so that Umno-owned media will not try to divert attention from the crisis by attacking him.

Lim had earlier responded to allegations published by the NST that his government was selling state land to achieve surpluses in its closing accounts.

He claimed the column, published today titled “Is Penang on sale now?”, was aimed to divert attention from the Kedah political crisis by focusing on the neighbouring Pakatan Harapan state government.

It was reported in The Star today that 17 Umno and two MCA assemblymen have signed statutory declarations supporting the removal of Mukhriz. Barisan Nasional holds 21 out of 36 state seats in Kedah.

Last Wednesday, Kedah Umno deputy chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanifah led a delegation comprising 15 Umno division chiefs, state and federal lawmakers who expressed loss of confidence in Mukhriz and called for his removal as mentri besar.

Among the reasons given for their discontent was Mukhriz’s purported failure to govern the state, to unite the party and his lack of strategy to face the next general elections due 2018.

Both Mukhriz and Ahmad Bashah met with Datuk Seri Najib Razak separately since then, but the Umno president and prime minister has yet to announce any decision on the matter.