KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 — Perlis Menteri Besar Abu Bakar Hamzah today confirmed he has resigned as a member of Bersatu’s Supreme Leadership Council (MPT) to focus fully on administering the state government.
He said Sena assemblyman and state executive councillor Marzita Mansor had also submitted her resignation from the party’s top leadership body last week, according to a Berita Harian report.
Abu Bakar said the decision was driven by time constraints in attending meetings at the federal level, as well as his desire to concentrate on developing Perlis with about a year remaining in the current state administration's term.
“This resignation has no connection whatsoever to my position as Perlis Menteri Besar and does not affect it. I stepped down solely because I could not fully commit to the MPT due to my responsibilities in Perlis.
“Marzita and I discussed this thoroughly. We decided to make way for others to continue serving at the central level while we focus on serving the state,” he told reporters after welcoming tourists from Thailand during the reopening of the Kuala Perlis–Satun ferry route today.
Abu Bakar said he would remain a Bersatu member, the party’s Perlis chairman and Kangar division chief with the consent of party president Muhyiddin Yassin.
He said he respected the party’s leadership and denied that his resignation was due to pressure or any intention to defect to another political party.
“This decision has nothing to do with the political situation at the federal level or any intention to join another party because we are still bound by the Anti-Hopping Act. We have always received the best treatment from the president and party headquarters without any problems.
“My focus now, as the state chairman, is to reorganise and rebuild all three Bersatu divisions in Perlis, as many committee members at the divisional level have moved elsewhere,” he said.
The Kuala Perlis assemblyman also pledged to continue leading the state government until the end of the current term, in line with the decree of the Raja of Perlis.
He said his immediate priority was to attract more investment into the state and achieve the key performance indicators (KPIs) set for the administration over the coming months.
“God willing, we have several plans to improve the well-being of the people and advance the state's development, which will be rolled out soon,” he said.
