PETALING JAYA: Umno’s Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah has resigned as Energy and Natural Resources Minister, raising further questions on the future of the Perikatan Nasional government.

       His resignation was announced in a press statement that was shared by BernamaTV on Facebook yesterday, although the station deleted its tweet shortly thereafter.

       However, checks with Shamsul’s office confirmed the authenticity of his resignation.

       “Firstly, I would like to thank the Prime Minister for giving me the chance to serve as the Energy and Natural Resources Minister, and also the Umno leadership for proposing me for the position of a federal minister.

       “Taking into account several decisions and the party’s stand, as a loyal Umno member, I hereby tender my resignation as a Cabinet minister.

       “I would like to thank all quarters and also everyone in the ministry. My focus after this will be on my duties as the Lenggong MP as well as strengthening the party in facing an increasingly challenging political situation,” he said in a statement.

       Shamsul Anuar, 54, a three-term MP who is also an Umno supreme council member, is a former teacher and has a PhD in development management from Universiti Utara Malaysia.

       He defeated a PAS candidate with vast majorities in the 2008 and 2013 general elections, and stood out with a 79% majority vote against PAS and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia in the 14th general election in 2018. He has also been the president of the Malaysia Youth Council since 2005.

       His resignation came just hours before Umno announced that 11 of its MPs, not including Shamsul Anuar, had signed statutory declarations retracting their support for the Perikatan government and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as Prime Minister.