Ten Kedah Exco members sworn in today
ALOR SETAR - A total of 10 State Government Council (Exco) members of Kedah were sworn in before the Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah, at the Anak Bukit Palace here today.
Out of these 10 Exco members, six represent Pas, including the Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor; three are from the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu); and one is the representative from Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan).
The letter of appointment signing ceremony began with Merbau Pulas state assemblyman Datuk Siti Aishah Ghazali, followed by Mohd Azam Abdul Samat (Sungai Limau), Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah (Jitra), and Datuk Halimaton Shaadiah Saad (Bukit Kayu Hitam).
Also taking their oaths were Kuala Nerang assemblyman Mohamad Yusoff@Munir Zakaria, as well as Major (B) Mansor Zakaria (ADUN of Kuala Ketil), Dzowahir Ab Ghani (ADUN of Suka Menanti), and Datuk Mohd Salleh Saidin (ADUN of Kubang Rotan).
Two more members were sworn in: Muhammad Radhi Mat Din (Alor Mengkudu) and Wong Chia Zhen (Kulim).
Meanwhile, Muhammad Sanusi holds the portfolios of State Planning, Land Affairs, Natural Resources, Finance, State Government-related Companies, State Economic Action Council, Kedah Development Plan 2035, and External Cooperation.
On Aug 14, Muhammad Sanusi, who is also the ADUN of Jeneri, was sworn in as the 15th Kedah Menteri Besar after Sultan Sallehuddin granted his appointment for the new 2023 term.
The newly-formed Kedah cabinet retains three Exco members from the previous term: Siti Aishah, Halimaton Shaadiah, and Mohamad Yusoff@Munir.
The rest of the Exco members are new faces with diverse backgrounds.
Three previous Exco members who were removed are Datuk Dr. Mohd Hayati Othman (ADUN of Tokai), Brigadier General (B) Datuk Najmi Ahmad (ADUN of Kupang), and Datuk Wan Romaini Wan Salim (ADUN of Bukit Pinang).
In the previous state election, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) formed the state government by winning 33 out of 36 State Legislative Assembly seats, with only three seats held by Pakatan Harapan (PH).
The current composition of the Kedah State Legislative Assembly is 21 Pas representatives, 11 from Bersatu, and one seat represented by Gerakan. The opposition is represented by two PKR representatives and one from DAP.
List of the portfolios for the Menteri Besar and Kedah Exco members as follows;
1. Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor - Chairman of the State Planning Committee, Land Affairs, Natural Resources, Finance, State Government-Related Companies, State Economic Action Council, Kedah Development Plan 2035, and External Cooperation.
2. Datuk Siti Aishah Ghazali - Chairman of the Rural, Poverty, and Human Development Committee.
3. Mohd Azam Abdul Samat - Chairman of the Education, Religion, Communication and Information Committee.
4. Dr. Haim Hilman Abdullah - Chairman of the Industry & Investment, Higher Education, and Science, Technology & Innovation Committee.
5. Datuk Halimaton Shaadiah Saad - Chairman of the Welfare, Women, Family & Community, and Unity Committee.
6. Mohamad Yusoff Zakaria - Chairman of Public Works, Natural Resources, Water Supply, Water Resources, and Environment Committee.
7. Major (B) Mansor Zakaria - Chairman of the Housing, Local Government, and Health Committee.
8. Dzowahir Ab Ghani - Chairman of the Agriculture, Plantation, and Transport Committee.
9. Datuk Mohd Salleh Saidin - Chairman of the Tourism, Culture, and Entrepreneurship Committee.
10. Muhammad Radhi Mat Din - Chairman of the Consumer Affairs & Cost of Living, Youth, and Sports Committee.
11. Wong Chia Zhen - Chairman of the Human Resources, Chinese, Indian & Thai Communities, and NGOs Committee.
