KUALA LUMPUR – Bersatu’s Kuala Perlis assemblyman Abu Bakar Hamzah was sworn in as the 12th Perlis Menteri Besar today at a ceremony held at Istana Arau.
The swearing-in took place at about 4pm before the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail, reported Bernama.
The 57-year-old is Perlis Perikatan Nasional (PN) deputy chairman and state Bersatu chief.
He reportedly won the Kuala Perlis seat in the 15th General Election with a majority of 1,254 votes.
Abu Bakar was appointed to the state executive council following a reshuffle in November last year, during which he was entrusted with the Tourism, Arts and Culture as well as Rural Development portfolios.
In the reshuffle, Abu Bakar was among three state assemblymen appointed as new executive councillors, replacing two incumbents who were dropped.
Although the swearing-in ceremony was scheduled for 1 pm, it was delayed until the late afternoon.
Police personnel were also stationed at the main entrance of the palace as well as at several junctions along the main routes leading to Istana Arau.
Abu Bakar’s appointment follows political turmoil in the state after several PN assemblymen withdrew their support for then Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli. This includes three PAS lawmakers, namely namely Saad Seman (Chuping), Fakhrul Anwar Ismail (Bintong), and Ridzuan Hashim (Guar Sanji), who were sacked from the Islamist party over the mutiny.
The crisis culminated in Shukri’s resignation, which he cited as being due to health reasons.
Mohd Shukri later bemoaned his former colleagues’ “betrayal” and said he was wrong to have “trusted them too much”.
Yesterday, Bersatu President cum PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin distanced the party from the political crisis in the northern state.– December 28, 2025