DUNGUN: Terengganu Mentri Besar Prof Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said the meeting with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was to strengthen the ties between the state and the federal government.
The meeting that took place at the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya this morning was an unofficial one and no specific agenda was discussed, according to Ahmad Samsuri who added that the meeting was harmonious.
Also present were PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and PAS veteran Datuk Mustaffa Ali.
"I was honoured that the Prime Minister agreed to meet us despite the fact we are from different political parties.
"The important thing is that the discussion on the need to strengthen the relationship between the state and Federal received a positive response from the Prime Minister," Ahmad Samsuri said when met at a buka puasa event at the Hadhari Paka Mosque here, today.
Ahmad Samsuri remarked that while the results in the 14th General Election (GE14) could be considered as somewhat unique when the federal government changed hands from Barisan Nasional (BN) to Pakatan Harapan (PH), and with some states being under PAS and BN, the relationship between state and federal must be strengthened.
"What is in the past, leave it in the past. What is important is the relationship between the state government and federal must be strong for the wellbeing of the rakyat," he said.
When asked if they had discussed the issue of oil royalty in the meeting, Ahmad Samsuri said: "That is between me and the Prime Minister and whatever that was discussed, I will not mention it anymore. The discussion was more of a personal discussion."
Meanwhile, the Terengganu MB informed that there will be another meeting and on June 7, a Finance Council Meeting will be held, chaired by the Prime Minister and attended by all Mentris Besar.
"This will be the first official meeting involving state governments and the Prime Minister," he said.