Monday March 10, 2008

PAS’ Azizan sworn in as ninth Kedah MB

ALOR STAR: State PAS commissioner Azizan Abdul Razak has been sworn in as the ninth Kedah Mentri Besar. 
Azizan, 68, took his oath before Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah at Wisma Darul Aman at 3.40pm, witnessed by royalty and dignitaries. 

Outgoing MB Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, triumphant PAS and PKR assemblymen and Barisan representatives, who will play the unaccustomed role as members of the Opposition here, witnessed the ceremony. 
Azizan, a graduate of Al-Azhar University who holds a Master's degree in Philosophy of Law from Kent University, will lead a coalition government between his party, PKR and an Independent. 
The Opposition swept 22 of the 36 state seats, with PAS winning 16, PKR four and the DAP and Independent one each. 
Azizan, who retained his Sungai Limau seat, told a press conference later that he would announce the new state executive council line-up soon. 
“We are discussing the allocation of seats with PKR. There will be 11 exco members including myself as MB,” he added. 
He said Independent candidate V. Arumugam, who won the Bukit Selambau seat against an MIC candidate, would be invited to join the exco to represent the Indian community. 
A PKR contestant had defeated the MIC’s other candidate in Lunas. 
On PAS’ election manifesto, Azizan said the party would try to implement as many of the 15-point agenda pledged which include reviewing the perks of the MB and exco members, and setting up religious institutions. 
On the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) project in Kedah, Azizan said the new government would review its implementation. 
“We will also review the Yan Petroleum Industrial Zone project and the increase in quit rent. We will give rebates to those who paid the new quit rent rates,” he said. 
Asked if his state government would have similar policies to that of the Kelantan PAS government, Azizan said: “We will use the Kelantan PAS government as a model but we will be different.”