KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 25 — Mohd Shukri Ramli has insisted that his resignation as Perlis menteri besar was due to health reasons and not connected to the ongoing political upheaval in the state.

The Sanglang assemblyman and former Perlis PAS commissioner told a press conference, broadcast live on his Facebook page, that he was unaware of statutory declarations (SDs) filed by eight assemblymen withdrawing support for him until the day they were submitted, according to a report by the New Straits Times.

Shukri said he was not angry with the assemblymen but acknowledged he may have been “too kind” and placed too much trust in the friendships he had formed.

“I didn’t know about the move. I had no information. It happened so suddenly. I only learned of it on the day itself, so it was their own decision,” he said. 

“To say I am disappointed, maybe not, but it was my own mistake for being too kind and valuing these friendships so highly. We never expected this from our friends, yet I was treated in this manner.”

On Perikatan Nasional (PN), Shukri said the coalition’s leaders would meet to reassess internal ties and evaluate how member parties interact and work together.

“I must leave this to the PN leadership. They will meet to reassess acceptance and the relations between the parties within the coalition,” he said.

Before his resignation, reports emerged that a number of PN assemblymen, including those from PAS, had submitted statutory declarations signalling their decision to withdraw support for Shukri as menteri besar.

Last night, PAS confirmed it had expelled three of its Perlis assemblymen: Chuping’s Saad Seman, Bintong’s Fakhrul Anwar Ismail, and Guar Sanji’s Mohd Ridzuan Hashim.