They said that by postponing the meeting without providing an explanation, the state government led by menteri besar Abu Bakar Hamzah could be perceived as trying to dodge a no-confidence motion or evade a test of majority support.
Abu Bakar, of Bersatu, was sworn in as the menteri besar on Dec 28, 2025 after the resignation of his predecessor, Shukri Ramli, of PAS, citing health reasons.
Shukri’s resignation followed statutory declarations signed by eight assemblymen – five from Bersatu and three from PAS – retracting their support for his leadership, which was described as a “betrayal” by PAS leaders.
Yesterday, Abu Bakar said the dates for the upcoming three-day assembly meeting, which had been scheduled to begin on April 21, will be announced next week.
This was after Shukri, along with five other PAS assemblymen, had given him one week to explain the sudden postponement.
Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Sivamurugan Pandian said the delay of the assembly meeting could all too easily be read as an attempt to dodge a no-confidence motion or evade a test of majority support.
“In politics, when a state assembly meeting is postponed without a clear explanation, the public reads between the lines. It begins to feel like a sign of instability or a government losing its nerve,” he told Bernama.
“If PAS or any party is seen as strong enough to bring a no-confidence motion, then the whispers that the menteri besar fears losing his grip will inevitably grow louder.”
Sivamurugan said Abu Bakar must move quickly with an official and transparent explanation, not just to silence the speculation flooding social media since the April 17 notice, but to reclaim a narrative slipping from his grasp.
He said the menteri besar must also secure the state government’s majority, hold it close, and set a new date for the meeting as soon as possible. Only then can public confidence begin to heal.
Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani, of Universiti Utara Malaysia, offered a starker verdict. Postponing a scheduled assemby meeting without an urgent reason, he said, does not suggest strategy – it suggests something far more fragile: a shaky leadership.
“There should be no postponement of a scheduled state assembly meeting unless there is an extraordinarily compelling reason,” he told Bernama. “When it is delayed, the people grow anxious; how long will this drag on? And why is it happening?”
He urged the state government to come clean about what is unfolding so the matter can be laid to rest, “otherwise, the public will see this for what it appears to be: the same unresolved conflict that has haunted Perlis since last December”.
“If the state government collapses, the fracture between Bersatu and PAS will only deepen, out in the open for all to see. The crisis would drag on, and Perikatan Nasional would emerge even weaker, perhaps irreparably so,” he said.