KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 — The Election Commission (EC) is monitoring the political developments in Terengganu and preparing for any eventuality of a state elections, said chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof.
“The EC has to be ready from right now because there will only be 60 days to conduct the state elections if the state legislative assembly is dissolved,” he told Bernama.
Abdul Aziz said elections in a state as large as Terengganu, with 32 seats, would incur a huge cost.
Referring to the 32 seats, he said all political parties should support the EC's effort for a redelineation of electoral boundaries to have an odd number of seats instead of an even number.
It was in 2003 that a redelineation exercise was conducted. The next one, in 2011, was postponed in view of the 13th general election in 2013.
Terengganu emerged into the political limelight after former Terengganu mentri besar and Kijal assemblyman Datuk Seri Ahmad Said, Ajil assemblyman Ghazali Taib and Bukit Besi assemblyman Roslee Daud announced early today that they had left Umno and become independent assemblymen.
This followed the resignation of Ahmad as the mentri besar yesterday and the swearing-in of Seberang Takir assemblyman Datuk Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman as the new mentri besar last night.
The resignations have left the Terengganu legislative assembly with 14 representatives from the BN, 14 from PAS, one from PKR and three independents.
The change of mentri besar in Terengganu was not a spur-of-the-moment decision as Ahmad pledged to step down as the mentri besar one year after his reappointment in May last year so as to enable the new mentri besar to strengthen the Barisan Nasional (BN) in Terengganu where the coalition had only secured 17 of the 32 seats in the legislative assembly.
Ahmad had reached a gentleman's agreement to step down, but seems to have gone back on his word and is holding the government to ransom. — Bernama
