KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had nothing to do with the Kedah political crisis which led to the resignation of Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir.
Barisan Nasional (BN) strategic communications chief Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said Mukhriz, who was an icon to the younger generation when he took over the leadership, had failed to garner support from Kedah Umno members.
"Mukhriz is my friend… we rose together from the Umno Youth "factory". When he became the menteri besar and took over the leadership, he became an icon to the younger generation.
"However we must understand that politics is a game of numbers. When we fail to gain the support from those who are important in the political structure and the government, we will not be able to perform our duty as a menteri besar.
"This (crisis) has nothing to do with the prime minister and I hope those claiming so would stop spreading the allegation," he said during a visit at the Bukit Tapar Sanitary Landfill in Bestari Jaya, today.
Rahman said those at the centre of power in Kedah which included division chiefs, Youth, Wanita, Puteri, Umno Supreme Council and even the excos had voiced their views on the need to have a new menteri besar.
He also call on the people to give room for new menteri besar Datuk Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah to prove his leadership capabilities.
"When Sarawak chief minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem took over, many questioned his capabilities but look at the numbers now. It shows that he is among the most popular and successful in Sarawak.
"It is only fair for us to give Bashah the opportunity to prove his leadership. He is not new in the Kedah political scene; in fact he was the one who helped BN to take back Kedah from the opposition to whom we lost the state in 2008," he said.