MELAKA: Top Pakatan Harapan leaders are supposedly seeking an audience with the Melaka Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Dr Mohd Ali Rustam to take over the administration of the state.

       A Melaka Perikatan Nasional insider told The Star that two senior Pakatan leaders were spotted at Mohd Ali's residence at Bukit Katil here on Friday (Oct 1), allegedly with statutory declarations of 15 assemblymen in a bid to form a new state government comprising assemblymen from Umno, DAP, Parti Amanah Negara, PKR, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and one independent.

       However, it is learnt they were not able to meet Mohd Ali.

       The insider also claimed that four Umno assemblymen were ready to defect and form a unity government with the current Opposition.

       He also said that an emergency meeting was held at an undisclosed venue at Petaling Jaya on Thursday (Sept 30) between Opposition and the disgruntled Umno assemblymen as well as one independent lawmaker.

       The 15 assemblymen had supposedly signed a statutory declaration to support another senior Umno lawmaker to be named as the chief minister.

       Melaka has 28 state constituencies and Perikatan currently has the support of 17 assemblymen.

       The insider also claimed that one PKR and another Bersatu assemblymen had agreed to join the new coalition while three DAP assemblymen were promised senior executive councillor posts.

       There was a previous attempt to remove Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali in early August.

       However, this did not materialise as there was a change at Federal level when Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was sworn in as the ninth Prime Minister on Aug 21.

       More to come