A Voice of Reason

By Hakim Joe 

Even though I do not entirely subscribe to Khalid’s views or consider him doing a good job as the MB of Selangor, I think it is still way too early to call for his resignation. Yes, there are other leaders more capable as comprehensively portrayed by Lim Guan Eng, but until solid evidence is brought forth to incriminate the MB himself, everything is based on unfounded information.

I totally agree that Mr. PKR leader and wife’s endorsement of Khalid’s tenure as MB without prior discussion with the entire PKR Central Committee might seem “dictatorial” but that is what leaders are supposed to do – make all the hard decisions. Remember RPK’s editorial “We need a benevolent dictatorship”? I think the same broad concepts apply here as well. 

Khalid Ibrahim might not be even reasonably close to the strong and capable leader needed by PKR to show how things might differ under a Pakatan state government as compared to an Umno state government. Whether that will become a fatal mistake or not, it can only be proven in the next state election. No doubt as compared to Penang, Selangor is a distant runner up but then again, we are comparing apples to oranges. Lim Guan Eng did have a father in Lim Kit Siang and breeding, no matter how distasteful it may sound, does play a vital part in how a person in brought up to face challenges in the real world. Being the CEO of Permodalan Nasional Berhad does not pose as hardship when compared to growing up as the son of the Opposition Leader. 

Additionally, there seem to be a lot of people running interference in Selangor as compared to either Penang or Kelantan. This seems just about right owing to the fact that Selangor was not comprehensively won at the recent polls and that it remains the jewel of Malaysia. The fact that it is just a few frogs away from a change of state government together with a hostile HRH could not be too far away from one’s mind. And then, there are the parasitic freeloaders that are still hanging around from the last administration that PKR has failed to rid of when they assumed power in the state. Ditto the former Umno cronies who rejoined politics as Pakatan reps. Remember Hasan Ali – former assistant cabinet secretary in the PM’s Department and deputy director of Biro Tatanegara? 

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This applies to almost anybody no matter is they are from Umno or Pakatan, albeit the fact that the probabilities are much higher with the former as compared to the latter, but still there nonetheless. That is why we need real evidence before we can rightfully crucify someone. Anwar might not be my first choice for PM, as I can remember vividly his actions from his Umno heydays as the Education Minister and DPM, but I do support his decision now in retaining Khalid as MB not because the temptation to replace Khalid is overwhelming but owing to the fact that we should not make harsh decisions based on hearsay only.  

Let those who have proof of Khalid’s wrongdoing step forth and reveal them. If Khalid is implicit in these accusations, not only should he be sacked but sent to jail as well. There should be no compromise whatsoever and it should serve as a grim reminder to those who seek personal glorification, monetary gains or on an ego trip after being elected as a people’s representative. Let those Umno outcasts be forewarned. 

For those state representatives who is deciding to quit Pakatan primarily because of this issue, do think again before you take this step as it serves as a precedence for others to doing so when decisions do not favor them. The Pakatan state government will surely fall and where would we go from here? 

For those party leaders who made the decision to retain Khalid, you had better be absolutely certain that Khalid is blameless as your collective reputation is at stake here. We are no longer the uneducated and ignorant voters anymore.