KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 — Kedah’s sole Umno state executive councillor and assemblyman to not support the party’s bid to oust Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir has finally broken his silence, saying that there was no valid reason behind the push for a new mentri besar.

Datuk Aminuddin Omar, the only state lawmaker who did not sign the statutory declaration (SDs) in support of Mukhriz’s removal said that the latter should be given the opportunity to lead Kedah until the next general election.

“Kedah Umno needs leaders like this. Not only acceptable by some people but all layers of society.

“In this matter, Mukhriz does not need to be rejected. I see an air of desperation right now whereby there are some people exerting pressure (on the matter),” Aminuddin was reported as saying by Malay daily Sinar Harian today.

The Jitra assemblyman claimed that he was not alone in his views, and that there are party members and people in the state who still support Mukhriz.

“We want Kedah to be peaceful. But two years is not enough time for Mukhriz to make changes, give him a chance, until GE14,” Aminuddin added.

Mukhriz’s removal as Kedah mentri besar will likely take place soon, as his rivals now claim they have the minimum number of votes needed to prove he does not have the mandate to lead.

According to Kedah state executive councillor Datuk Tajul Urus Mat Zain, the two MCA assemblymen who were reported as saying Monday they were not supportive of the ouster have now changed their minds.

He told Malay Mail Online that the duo have agreed to sign SDs to declare their backing of the bid.

The Tanjung Dawai assemblyman and Merbok division chief was also reported to have said that Mukhriz’s replacement has been identified, and that the new MB is an “experienced politician and a well-respected leader.”

There are 36 state seats in Kedah, with BN holding 21 (19 from Umno and two from MCA) and the opposition, 15. According to recent news reports, the only two Umno representatives who did not sign the SDs were Mukhriz and Aminuddin.

In a news conference last Wednesday, Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah led a delegation comprising 14 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 have met with Datuk Seri Najib Razak separately since the leadership tussle exploded Wednesday, but the Umno president and prime minister has yet to announce any decision on the matter.