ARAU, Dec 28 —Kuala Perlis assemblyman Abu Bakar Hamzah was sworn in as the new Menteri Besar of Perlis at Istana Arau here today.
Abu Bakar, 57, took his oath of office before the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail, at 4.04pm.
Abu Bakar is Perlis Perikatan Nasional (PN) deputy chairman and state Bersatu chief.
He won the Kuala Perlis seat in the 15th General Election with a majority of 154 votes.
He succeeds Mohd Shukri Ramli, who stepped down from his post on Thursday (December 25) due to health reasons.
Abu Bakar was appointed to the State Executive Council following a reshuffle in November last year. He was entrusted with the tourism, arts and culture as well as rural development portfolios.
In the reshuffle, Abu Bakar was among three state assemblymen appointed as new state executive councillors, replacing two incumbents who were dropped.
Although the swearing-in ceremony was scheduled for 1pm, it was delayed until the late afternoon.
Police personnel were also stationed at the main entrance of the palace as well as at several junctions along the main routes leading to Istana Arau.
On December 25, Perlis State Assembly Speaker Rus’sele Eizan announced unexpected vacancies for the Chuping, Bintong and Guar Sanji seats in accordance with Clause (1)(a)(ii) of Article 50A of the Perlis State Constitution.
The vacancies arose after PAS announced on December 24 that the party membership of three of its assemblymen — Saad Seman (Chuping), Fakhrul Anwar Ismail (Bintong) and Mohd Ridzuan Hashim (Guar Sanji) — had been terminated following their alleged move to withdraw support for Shukri.
The vacancies arose after PAS announced on December 24 that the party membership of three of its assemblymen — Saad Seman (Chuping), Fakhrul Anwar Ismail (Bintong) and Mohd Ridzuan Hashim (Guar Sanji) — had been terminated following their alleged move to withdraw support for Shukri.
In the 15th General Election, Perikatan Nasional (PN) Perlis won 14 of the 15 state assembly seats, with PAS securing nine seats and Bersatu five, while Pakatan Harapan, through Parti Keadilan Rakyat, won the remaining seat.
Meanwhile, Perlis State Secretary Datuk Rahimi Ismail said Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin had consented to appoint Abu Bakar as the new Menteri Besar.
In a statement, he said the appointment was made in accordance with Articles 37 and 39 of the Perlis State Constitution.
