Anwar also said that the Selangor Pakatan had already decided on Azmin Ali the choice of menteri besar for Selangor but refused to divulge details.
“As a courtesy, we need to talk to Tuanku Sultan Selangor first,” he said.
WHO will be Selangor’s next mentri besar?
If Khalid is not MB PR. will lose support. Come on DAP ensure the sensible thing is done. It is because of Khalid PR is able to improve performance in Selangor. PAS needs to learn lesson from Kedah. done a Good Job. Khalid Has governed Selangor effectively by having obtained the Cooperation of his fellow State Reps. Why Rock the Boat. The Opposition was most probably voted back in due to this.
Khalid was the best MB Selangor ever had! I voted for PR because of him. Please listen to the Rakyat! Khalid for MB!! Selangor caretaker Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim will be reappointed to be MB for the State of Selangor….by 98% of the popular votes!Salute MP Khalid Samad, A person who practice a faithful religion be Islam, Buddhist or others will definitely have the right thinking with open heart to compromise any issue, keep it up and be united PR. I strongly propose Khalid Ibrahim to be reappointed as MB considering the proven track record and expertise which had gain him the creditability. PR, delay no further. Just name Khalid as MB. He has done an excellent job since 2008 and this is shown by the overwhelming support from the Selangor rakyat during the recent GE13 elections. Do not disappoint the rakyat. Let him resolve the water takeover issue. Khalid will deliver! PR hold on Selangor will be strengthened further comes GE14!
Although Pakatan Rakyat swept to power in the state, gaining eight seats for a total of 44 out of 56 in the state assembly, there might be instability as the previously dominant PKR is now the junior partner.
Selangor caretaker Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim’s position remains in limbo, as there is no decision yet as to whether or not he will continue to lead the state government.
State PKR chairperson Azmin Ali told a joint press conference with other state Pakatan Rakyat leaders today that a meeting would be convened soon.
The meeting will decide on the appointee for the menteri besar’s post for the next term, and the decision will then be conveyed to the coalition’s leadership council.
“We will discuss and we will follow the decision of Pakatan leaders. We will defend (Pakatan’s) spirit of consensus and consultation to ensure that it will be stronger in the future,” Azmin said when fielding questions from reporters.
Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad (left) said there was no issue of his party, PAS, being stronger than PKR in the state, although it won 15 state assembly seats compared with DAP’s 15 and PKR’s 14 in Sunday’s general election.
“In Pakatan Rakyat, we are all of the same strength,” Khalid said.
Khalid, the Selangor PAS deputy chief, added that PKR should have obtained 16 seats, except for ‘mistakes’ that have led to multi-corner fights in Kota Damansara and Semenyih.
‘Review electoral system’
On a separate issue, Azmin called for a review of the electoral system to better reflect the people’s support, given that BN won the parliamentary election even though Pakatan holds more than half of the popular vote.
“Since we use the first-past-the-post system (FPTP), we cannot get enough parliamentary seats to form the (federal) government,” he said.
“Therefore the system needs to be reviewed to better represent the people’s support and sentiments. If we use the FPTP system, then this is our problem: The party with 46 percent of the votes can form the government but the party with 51 percent cannot.”
Azmin said the parliamentary select committee on electoral reform had recommended last year, that the Election Commission should review the system and consider alternatives such as the mixed-member proportional system practised in Germany.
While both PAS and DAP scored 15 state seats each, PKR won one less with 14.
Those aligned to incumbent Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim point to the massive gains as a sign of approval.
But Pakatan has not decided who will lead the nation’s richest state and indeed, whether he will be from PKR.
Khalid has assured the rakyat that Pakatan’s top leaders will make a decision within a week.
“The decision has not been made (yet),” he told reporters.
However, it is expected to be a straight fight between two men Khalid and PKR firebrand Azmin Ali.
Azmin, the party’s deputy president, has allegedly been gunning for the mentri besar post for years.
The highly-publicised spat between him and Khalid’s political secretary Faekah Husin who is fiercely protective of her boss is touted as proof of the rivalry between Khalid and Azmin.
There was further controversy last October when Azmin told a Malay daily that Khalid would be made a minister if Pakatan seized Putrajaya and would be vacating the mentri besar’s position.
Azmin is very much Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s man but whispers of friction between him and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar only serve to add fuel to the fire.
It’s common knowledge that the younger generation of Pakatan supporters are split between Team Izzah and Team Azmin.
PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, too, is said to have issues with Azmin.
Rumour has it that Dr Wan Azizah was not fielded in Selangor because of this.
Despite his clashes with Anwar’s wife and daughter, Azmin still has the Opposition leader’s ear.
And thanks to Anwar’s backing, the Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman may take on Khalid.
Behind closed doors, elected representatives and candidates make no secret of their allegiances.
A source close to Khalid said Azmin had picked candidates he could control.
“He chooses his own people to make sure everyone is in his pocket. But Azmin needs to realise the rakyataccept Khalid.”
The source accused him of putting his candidates in safe seats.
The source said it was an open secret Azmin frequently meddled in Selangor matters for his own political mileage.
When Khalid, who won the Port Klang state seat in GE13, first entered the scene, he was viewed as a political novice but a seasoned corporate leader.
A member of the National Productivity Council, he was also chief executive of state-run investment fundPermodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) and CEO of what is now Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad.
Azmin has been close to Anwar since the age of 23, serving as his special officer in 1987 when the Permatang Pauh MP was Education Minister.
When Anwar was convicted of sodomy and corruption, Azmin was one of PKR’s founding members.
His loyalty knows no bounds, to the extent of being convicted for lying in court during Anwar’s trial. He was later acquitted. However, the court proceedings effectively ensured he could not participate in the 2004 general election.
Some have questioned if Azmin can and should be mentri besar as he was born in Singapore, not Selangor.
But according to a national-level PKR leader, Azmin is allowed by the Selangor constitution to become mentri besar.
“Pakatan did well in Selangor thanks to Khalid. The rakyat retained us because they thought they’d continue with him as mentri besar.”
The leader said that as PKR’s seats had been reduced, the party would have to consult DAP and PAS closely.
“DAP and PAS are both very much behind Khalid. Azmin will make an attempt to grab the post but he doesn’t have the popularity.”
However, there have been whispers that PAS is eager to submit a name for consideration although sources say the party will not push for it for the sake of preserving Pakatan’s unity.
But the PKR leader confirmed that in closed-door meetings, Khalid had support. The caretaker mentri besar also met the Selangor Sultan yesterday.
“It will probably be Khalid. Azmin may have had a chance before but now the political landscape is different.”
