KANGAR, April 20 — Perlis Menteri Besar Abu Bakar Hamzah has assured that the state legislative assembly will sit before June 8, with the new date to be announced next week.

He said the postponement of the sitting was not related to any issue of a vote of no confidence or uncertainty over support for the state government under his leadership.

“We have until June. Under the rules, the interval between the previous sitting and the next must not exceed six months. I will ensure that the state assembly will sit before June 8,” he told reporters here yesterday.

The Perlis state assembly was originally scheduled to sit from April 21 to 23. However, a notification letter on the postponement issued last Friday had sparked speculation.

Abu Bakar explained that the postponement was to allow the state government to further refine its administrative preparations so that the sitting could be conducted in a more orderly manner, noting that he had only assumed office as Menteri Besar after taking his oath on Dec 28 last year.

In this regard, he said there was no issue of weakness in his leadership or any attempt to avoid political pressure through the postponement, adding that it formed part of his administrative approach to streamline the state government’s affairs.

“For me, in politics, we do not know the meaning of fear. There is no issue of fear or anything of that sort. Leadership has its own way, previous leadership had its approach, and my leadership as Menteri Besar has its own,” he said. — Bernama