Leave Sultan out of this, Anwar tells critics of Selangor MB intrigue
(MM) – Critics should cease speculating on the Selangor Royal House’s position on Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s position as mentri besar, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Saying that they were trying to impose their own views on the state Ruler, Anwar added that due respect and “deference” must be accorded to Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
The Selangor palace would also have the power and opportunity to weigh in on the MB’s post should Khalid be made to step down, he explained.
“I think it is grossly unfair to drag and prejudge the Sultan. The Sultan has the state’s interests at [heart]. A constitutional monarch understands the state constitution,” Anwar told The Malay Mail Online in a recent interview here.
He stressed that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) respected the position of the Sultan in deciding who becomes mentri besar, amid attempts by political rivals to paint a scenario of crisis predicated on the possibility that the state Ruler rejects Anwar for the position.
“If in the event a name has to be submitted… the name has to be considered and be given royal assent,” he explained.
“I am Malaysian. I understand the nuances,” the PKR de facto leader added.
Selangor Umno state liaison chief Datuk Seri Noh Omar last week suggested that Anwar might not gain the royal assent he needs if the federal opposition leader sets his sights on the Selangor MB’s post.
Noh had said that such a scenario would then send the state into a constitutional crisis to determine which institution ― the state legislative assembly or the Sultan of Selangor ― would have the final word on the appointment of the mentri besar.
Last Thursday, former Bar Council chief Edmund Bon said a move to install Anwar in place of Khalid as MB risks causing the entire state assembly to be dissolved if the Sultan disagrees with the change.
Bon noted that Anwar also may not secure the support he needs from the state representatives as PKR has the fewest seats among the three PR parties while PAS has said it will propose its own candidate if Khalid is removed from office.
Former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohd Noor Abdullah also asserted that the state Ruler has “absolute power” to appoint a mentri besar of his choice.
In a surprise move last week, PKR’s Lee Chin Cheh resigned as Kajang assemblyman without giving a reason, paving the way for Anwar to contest the by-election.
The move came not long after media speculation that a state by-election would be triggered to pave the way for Anwar to become a member of the Selangor assembly and qualify to replace Khalid as MB.
While popular with the general public, Khalid’s penchant for unilateral decision-making in administering the country’s wealthiest state is understood to be a source of dissatisfaction among PR leaders in the state.
After repeated denials over the move, Anwar has now conceded that the possibility of him taking over from Khalid was an option for the party.
