IPOH, April 7 — It is too premature to name a Perak mentri besar candidate before winning the state, Perak Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Faizal Azumu said today.

He said the component members should focus on working together and winning the 14th general election first before talking about who gets the chief minister post.

“In the spirit of Pakatan, it should be discussed among us rather than making a blanket announcement,” he told Malay Mail when contacted.

“At this time, everybody should focus on working together and winning the election and try to form the government before any of these decisions are made,” he added.

Faizal also urged component parties not to say anything that would affect Pakatan’s chances or swing the Malay votes against the coalition.

“No discussions have been made with regards with the MB post,” he reiterated.

Faizal was asked to comment on a Malay Mail report that constitutional law expert Abdul Aziz Bari may be fielded in Perak in preparation to make him the mentri besar in the event PH takes the state in the general election.

Quoting a source, Abdul Aziz was speculated to stand in Tebing Tinggi state seat, currently held by Ong Boon Piow of DAP.

Faizal urged the DAP to respect the decision made by Pakatan presidential council where Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) is leading the state.

“If we manage to form the state government, priority for MB post should be given to PPBM unless we did not manage to win any seats,” he said.

“Anyhow, a MB candidate must be presented to the Sultan of Perak first. Hence, no parties should name their candidate yet. Concentrate on winning the election first. Position is not important,” he added.

A DAP source meanwhile said naming Abdul Aziz as the Mentri Besar was not a good idea due to his controversial background.

“If indeed he was an asset, he would have been fielded as a candidate in Selangor,” he said.

“He may come to Perak and contest, but naming him is not good. If Barisan Nasional goes to rural areas and tell the people that DAP is putting another puppet, how do we counter that?” he asked.

The source said as it is, the party was facing uphill task in campaigning at rural seats.

“Barisan will just use this as an extra bullet,” he said.

He added the party had sacrificed itself by agreeing to use PKR logo in the coming election, but this announcement (Aziz Bari being the MB) would be counterproductive.

Agreeing with the DAP source, a PH source said DAP should understand the sensitivities of Malay voters before deciding on the MB candidate.

“Abdul Aziz would not pass the Perak royal household due to his previous controversial statement against Selangor Sultan. If he can’t pass the Perak Sultan, why open up the matter for speculation?” he asked.

At another press conference here today, Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming said it remains speculative if Abdul Aziz would be the Mentri Besar.

“Even if he contests in Perak, will he win the seat?” he said, adding that news on the subject would be too presumptuous.

“But the media is free to speculate,” he added.