How True Are These Rumours Of Khalid Ibrahim Resigning As Selangor Menteri Besar?

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Azmin Ali (pic) has confirmed speculations that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would have been slotted in as Selangor's next Menteri Besar should he win the Kajang by-election on March 23.

"It was not a probability, it really was the mission to propel Anwar into the menteri besar's seat," he said when met by reporters at the parliament lobby here today.

nst.com.my

Asked whether Datin Seri Wan Azizah would replace Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as the menteri besar, Azmin replied: "We concentrate on winning Kajang first before any deliberations on that."

nst.com.my

Azmin said PKR was not taking the contest against the Barisan Nasional lightly despite securing the Kajang seat with a comfortable majority in the last general election.

If the mentri besar post becomes vacant, Selangor PAS will step in, he said.

“This includes naming Selangor PAS commissioner as our main candidate.” Should the post be vacated, Selangor PAS will nominate state party commissioner Iskandar Abdul Samad for the job, since the Islamist party holds more seats in the state assembly than Anwar’s PKR does.

themalaymailonline.com

“PAS Selangor will not intervene. As long as it has nothing to do with the Selangor mentri besar (job) PAS will stay as an observer,” Selangor PAS secretary Mohd Khairuddin Othman said in a statement here.

Selangor PAS vowed to stay clear of the Kajang by-election today, but pledged to step in should Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim make a move for the state mentri besar post.

themalaymailonline.com

“We have approached two senior leaders in DAP and two in PAS and brought up the matter... there is a general feeling that Khalid should no longer remain as MB; too many thing have led to this,” a PKR leader told The Malay Mail Online on condition of anonymity.

themalaymailonline.com

Azmin, the Selangor PKR chief, received a letter on January 8 informing him that he had been removed from the PKNS board.

themalaysianinsider.com

State Mentri Besar and PKNS chairman Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, with whom Azmin has a strained relationship, is said to have made the decision not to reappoint the Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman and Gombak MP to the PKNS board.

This move was an attempt to "clip Azmin's wings" just before the PKR party polls in February or March, said a source.

Anwar told a press conference at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat headquarters in Tropicana that he was backing Azmin to remain on the PKNS board.

"Azmin's removal is invalid as proper procedure has not been followed," claimed Anwar.

themalaysianinsider.com

“Politics aside, the problem many leaders have with Khalid is how he makes decisions in the state without informing or allowing participation from Pakatan.

“I mean I get it, you are the mentri besar but you are also part of Pakatan, we are a team,” said the source.

themalaymailonline.com

Among his decisions that have ruffled feathers in the pact are the controversial pay hikes for Selangor state assemblymen and administrators, an unexpected decision to go with Putrajaya’s recommendations in the state’s water restructuring plans, and the convoluted removal of PKR deputy president and known rival Azmin Ali from the board of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS).

themalaymailonline.com

PKR is said to be also unhappy over the way he handled several other hot issues such as the Jais seizure of Bibles and the row over non-Muslim’s use of the term “Allah”.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is believed to have agreed to step down from his post.

Khalid is expected to announce his decision to go this Wednesday, according to party insiders.

They said that PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was on course to become the next Mentri Besar. A by-election in a state seat is expected to be held to enable Anwar to join the Selangor Legislative Assembly and take over the top job.

Lee’s resignation is believed to be connected to mounting speculation that Anwar plans to head the Selangor government. High level sources in PKR said Khalid agreed to step aside in favour of Anwar during their four-eyed meeting on Sunday.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) on Thursday quashed rumours that there were moves to replace Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as Selangor Mentri Besar with party deputy president Azmin Ali during its central leadership meeting last week.

Its more important for the state to investigate what had transpired in Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) rather than finding out who had circulated the rumour that he was quitting as Selangor Mentri Besar, said Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Monday, denied speculations that he is to replace the current Selangor Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

astroawani.com

“It’s mere speculations and this matter has been ongoing since the year 2008,” said Anwar. “The discussions between Khalid and I are held weekly, not only last Sunday. We meet at least once in two weeks. More often, it’s held every week in the office or at our respective homes. They are mostly general discussions about Selangor and Pakatan Rakyat ,” said Anwar.

astroawani.com

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has not agreed to step down as Selangor Mentri Besar, his press secretary Arfa’eza Aziz said today, refuting news reports claiming otherwise.

themalaymailonline.com

Arfa’eza told The Malay Mail Online that she and Khalid’s political secretary Faekah Husin held a meeting with the second-term mentri besar yesterday but the issue was never raised.

“If he had agreed to do so he would have mentioned it to us,” she said when contacted.

themalaymailonline.com

But Arfa’eza said that such a decision has several layers of protocol, and that Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah would first have to give his approval.

“You have to speak to the palace first, then you have to make an official announcement, we are running a state after all. One cannot simply step down just like that,” she said.

themalaymailonline.com

Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said he would resign as the menteri besar if the leadership of the three coalition parties of the state government reached a consensus on this and obtained the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafudin Idris Shah’s approval.

freemalaysiatoday.com

However, he said to date there were no discussions by them on the matter.
“I can concede if the opposition coalition wants to replace me, but there have been no discussions on the matter till now,” he told reporters.

freemalaysiatoday.com

Article 51 (2) of the Selangor State Constitution states that the mentri besar must be a Malay-Muslim and the appointment of the mentri besar must receive consent of the Sultan.

“It is highly unlikely that Anwar or Azmin will be picked to head the state because history has showed that only a true blue Selangorian should be picked,” said a party insider.
“The candidate must also be someone who will be accepted by the palace,” the source said.

For the record, Anwar was born in Cherok Tok Kun, Penang, while Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman Azmin Ali, who was earlier tipped to succeed Khalid, was born in Singapore.

Such aspirations, however, may be dented through a state unwritten rule, according to which any person intending to occupy the mentri besar’s seat has to be a born in Selangor.