Hasni assured that he would focus on appointing a new state executive council line-up and resolve the political turmoil in the state. Bernama Photo
JOHOR BAHRU: The newly-appointed Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad today said that his appointment was made in accordance with the law and the Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar’s prerogative power.
As such, Hasni assured that he would focus on appointing a new state executive council line-up and resolve the political turmoil in the state.
“The Sultan of Johor has exercised his prerogative power as stated in the State Constitution to appoint me as the new Menteri Besar. The Gabungan Baharu coalition will form the new state government, replacing the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government,” he said.
Hasni, who is also Johor Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman and UMNO chief, explained that the appointment was made possible following the collapse of the PH government at the federal level after Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) pulled out of the coalition on Monday.
“I want to stress that this appointment is a result of the collapse of the PH government. So, this is not a back door government, this is not a government created by us, not our doing.
“We need to have a new government…How His Majesty ascertains the confidence of the house, it is His Majesty’s prerogative. Not anyone else’s.
“Rest assured, we will continue and respect the democratic system of our country, but most importantly, we need to move on. Any prolonged crisis will lead to a weaker state of the economy,” said Hasni.
On the state executive council line-up, he said UMNO would discuss it first with the Gabungan Baharu component parties, namely PAS, MIC and Bersatu, to ensure fair distribution of representatives.
Hasni, 61, was sworn in as the new Johor Menteri Besar before Sultan Ibrahim at Istana Bukit Serene here today.
Yesterday, the Johor Palace, in a statement, said that Sultan Ibrahim was satisfied that the new coalition had the simple majority to form the new government, when 28 assemblymen chose the new coalition, compared to 26 choosing PH. – Bernama