Kedah chief says asked to resign

Kedah chief says asked to resign

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): The head of government in Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's home state said yesterday he had only tendered his resignation because he was asked to do so.

"I only wish to say I sent in my resignation letter to the Prime Minister because he asked me to do so," Osman Aroff, chief minister of the northern Kedah state, was quoted as saying by the national Bernama news agency.

His remarks came a day after Mahathir told reporters that he had received Osman's resignation letter and that he had not decided whether to accept the resignation.

Kedah state legislators, in an unusual show of defiance, had earlier this year presented a petition to Mahathir, demanding that Osman be allowed to stay on in the job.

Political analysts say Mahathir had wanted to replace Osman with Sanusi Junid, a former agriculture minister and a key ally, but the legislators opposed the change.