KUALA LUMPUR: Perak Umno chief Saarani Mohamad was among those attending a meeting of Umno’s supreme council here tonight on efforts to form the new Perak state government.
The meeting, chaired by party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, began at about 8pm at party headquarters at Menara Dato Onn.
While Perak Umno is believed to have agreed on nominating Saarani to be the party’s candidate for menteri besar, Umno leaders need to decide on how to form a coalition with majority support in the state assembly.
The party has 25 seats in the 59-member house, five seats short of a majority. There has been speculation that it might team up with parties in Pakatan Harapan. However, several leaders in Umno and PAS have appealed for the party to stick by its partners in Muafakat Nasional.
Umno, PAS and PPBM formed the former state coalition government led by PPBM deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu as menteri besar. His government collapsed after he resigned on Saturday, a day after losing a confidence motion in the state assembly.
Among those seen arriving for tonight’s meeting were Umno vice-presidents Khaled Nordin and Mahdzir Khalid, Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin, and supreme council members Razali Ibrahim, Abdul Rahman Mohamad, and Jalaluddin Alias.
The BN supreme council and Muafakat Nasional consultative committee would also meet tomorrow and on Wednesday respectively.
Saarani, the assemblyman for Kota Tampan state assemblyman, has been tipped to be the next menteri besar. Earlier today, Rungkup assemblyman Shahrul Zaman Yahya said that Perak Umno had decided to nominate Saarani for the post.
In an online posting, Shahrul appealed for an end to speculation about the post and for the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, to decide who has a simple majority to become the new menteri besar.
Zahid is scheduled to have an audience with Sultan Nazrin tomorrow.