Pakatan must put its house in order before it’s too late
Zubaidah Abu Bakar, The Rakyat Post
VERY few politicians would want to be in Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s shoes right now.
Once portrayed by comrades as an outstanding administrator, the embattled Menteri Besar has become the punching bag of his own party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), and other leaders in Pakatan Rakyat.
DAP and PAS leaders also appear to be calling for him to relinquish his post.
Khalid’s recent failure to retain his Hulu Selangor division chief post and the fact that he is trailing incumbent Mohamed Azmin Ali in the fight for the PKR deputy president post in the on-going PKR elections, have also put him in a spot.
All these have added proof that he is not wanted by his own party.
The Menteri Besar is not oblivious of the mounting pressure to step down. It takes a lot of courage in wanting to remain in power, if possible, until the end of his current term. Being bashed from all sides, it looks like an anti-Khalid move is in the works.
It is an accepted fact that PKR top leaders are dissatisfied with Khalid’s performance and many want him out fast.
The elites in PKR who engineered the Kajang Move to replace Khalid with party de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim were frustrated that the plan had died in infancy.
The Permatang Pauh Member of Parliament was not destined for the position; his conviction of sodomy by the High Court, days before nomination for the Kajang by-election, had made him ineligible to contest.
Within PKR, talk of Khalid’s eventual departure is rife. His days are numbered. It is rumoured that the change which PKR leaders want would take effect after the party’s internal elections are over.
If true, it will not be long. The PKR elections, involving 198 divisions and originally scheduled from April 26 to May 11, was extended following the suspension of 27 divisional elections due to various discrepancies and irregularities in the voting process.
The last two divisions — Puchong and Kelana Jaya, both in Selangor — will go for re-election on Aug 10.
At the moment, PKR top leaders are said to be waiting to get a consensus from its partners, DAP and PAS, to replace Khalid.
While the PKR leadership is all for Khalid’s removal, there is generally a split of opinion in DAP and PAS over whether Khalid should stay.
The recent public attacks from Pakatan leaders over the failure to resolve the water supply issue, the seized Bibles, the Allah issue and the other actions by Selangor religious authorities, as well as the controversial Kinrara-Damansara Highway that have dented Pakatan’s credibility, have all come into play in getting rid of Khalid.
Anwar, although he is no fan of Khalid’s administration style, had to intervene.
The Opposition leader attempted to silence all talk on the position of the Selangor Menteri Besar’s post, telling state lawmakers and party leaders to respect Pakatan’s position on the matter.
In a two-paragraph statement, Anwar reminded all that any decision on the post had to be a collective one between PKR and its coalition partners within the PR framework, as well as with the consent of the Selangor Sultan.
“The position of the Menteri Besar is not the personal agenda nor property of any individual, but is the result of a decision of PKR and Pakatan Rakyat, with the blessings of the Sultan,” the brief statement said.
There are just too many issues in Selangor that is rattling Pakatan’s support base in the state, which has been under the Opposition pact’s rule since 2008.
The irony is that in most of the controversial cases, fingers had been pointed at Khalid for worsening the situation, either through his actions or inaction.
But is it fair for the Khalid bashers to put the blame solely on one person when there are ample opportunities for opinions and suggestions to be made to the state government, without making public attacks?
Was there really no room for discussions as some Pakatan leaders had claimed?
Pakatan leaders’ fear that the “chaotic state of affairs in Selangor” may end up with Malaysia’s richest state falling back into the hands of Barisan Nasional in the 14th General Election is real, unless Pakatan puts its house in order before Malaysians go to the polls again.
Pakatan should count itself lucky that the Selangor BN is in shambles since losing control of the state in 2008, and until now, it has yet to play the role of an effective Opposition.
If BN had been able to capitalise fully on the many inter- and intra-party squabbles as well as the weaknesses of the PKR-led state government, it could have wrested control of Selangor in the 2013 General Election.
However, Pakatan cannot just rely on BN’s weaknesses all the time to remain in power in Selangor, where voters are demanding to see good governance and transparency in politics.
The people of Selangor have witnessed far too many episodes that can make them decide to slowly swing their support to the opposite side.
