Ab Rauf pledges support for Sulaiman, dismisses talk of rift over CM post

ALOR GAJAH: Melaka UMNO chief Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh has dismissed rumours about opposition from within UMNO to the appointment of Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali as the Chief Minister.

He said all state UMNO division chiefs fully supported the appointment as stated previously.

"I would like to state that we have no problems; we have together secured a stable government. So, I reject the notion that there is a rift among us over the post of Chief Minister.

'All of us (UMNO division chiefs), including myself as state UMNO chairman, will fully support Datuk Seri Sulaiman's leadership as the Melaka Chief Minister," he said at a media conference here today.

He said the appointment reflected the trust of Melaka people and that with the cooperation of all UMNO division chiefs, they would prepare for the 15th General Election (GE15).

"The focus now is on the new government administration, and we have no issues as we have a stable government," he said.

Sulaiman was sworn in as the new Chief Minister early today, after Barisan Nasional won 21 of the 28 seats contested in the state election.

Meanwhile, Sulaiman told reporters that he was sworn in earlier than scheduled because he had urgent matters to attend to, including the Conference of Rulers meeting.

-- BERNAMA