Perak MB tells his excos to stop scoring own goals

IPOH, March 21 — After almost a year in power, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu asked his state executive councillors (excos) to begin working cohesively.

He said some among them appeared not to understand he was the mentri besar and spoke out of turn.

“Sometimes statements are made without being referred to me as the mentri besar. Not that the statement is wrong but it was made before it was referred to me, which I think will make people think that we are not working as a team,” he said.

Speaking to reporters after opening the Townhall Maqasid Syariah at the State Secretariat building here today, Ahmad Faizal said excos should either inform him or raise the matter during exco meetings before issuing public statements.

Without naming anyone, Ahmad Faizal cited an example of a statement that an open tender would be called to improve facilities at Sultan Azlan Shah (SAS) Airport.

The MB said he was not informed prior to its release.

“The state does not own SAS Airport; Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad does. To expand the airport, who will issue the tender? 

“The state cannot issue a statement that it will issue tender for the project. That is an example. It shows we are not smart,” he said.

Asked to rate the performance of his excos, Ahmad Faizal said there was room for improvement.

However, he said the same also applied to him.

“We are normal human beings,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Ahmad Faizal said he was not prepared to give up and resign from the post.

“When I took the oath as mentri besar, it’s a responsibility. I swore with my heart and take it very seriously,” he said.