Johari Abdul vacates Gurun State seat with immediate effect

ALOR SETAR, Dec 18  (Bernama) -- Gurun Assemblyman Datuk Johari Abdul today announced vacating the state seat with immediate effect.

According to the Opposition Chief in the Kedah State Assembly, he has sent a letter to Kedah State Assembly Speaker Datuk Juhari Bulat, who received it last the letter Dec 13.

"The gist of the letter reads, I, Datuk Johari bin Abdul, hereby inform the Honourable Speaker, that I am vacating the N22 Gurun state seat with immediate effect,” he said in a 2.06-minute video message sent through WhatsApp to Bernama today.

Johari also thanked the Kedah State Assembly Speaker for allowing him to participate actively during the State Assembly sitting and also his voters.

"To my voters,  ladies and gentlemen, for the extraordinary support and cooperation and you have extended, as well as your trust in me in carrying out my duties as the Gurun assemblyman.

“Insya-Allah, we will meet again and I  am sure our good relations will remain in prospering and developing the state of Kedah," he said.

When contacted by Bernama, Johari declined to comment when asked if his decision in vacating the Gurun seat had to do with his candidacy as Dewan Rakyat Speaker.

  "We'll wait for tomorrow," he added.

Johari won the Gurun seat in the 14th General Election (GE14) as a Pakatan Harapan candidate with a majority of 4,207 votes against contenders from Barisan Nasional (BN), PAS and an Independent.

Meanwhile, the Kedah State Assembly Speaker,  when contacted by Bernama, confirmed the matter and said that the Gurun state seat would remain vacant until the coming state election.

The First meeting of the First Session of the 15th Parliament,  scheduled to last for two days from tomorrow, among other things will witness the election of a new Dewan Rakyat Speaker.

Last Dec 2, the media reported that Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun confirmed that he would vacate his position as Speaker of the House of Representatives before Parliament convened.

 -- BERNAMA