Pakatan maintains Wan Azizah’s nomination for Selangor MB

(NST) – Pakatan today maintained its nomination of PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the new Selangor Menteri Besar.

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, who was named by Pas along with Dr Wan Azizah during its meeting earlier today had turned down his nomination.

At a press conference here, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Pakatan leadership appreciated Pas’ commitment to the coalition, but had however unanimously agreed that the party will nominate only one candidate.

Anwar said the party will submit Dr Wan Azizah’s name to the Selangor palace tomorrow.

Azmin expressed his gratitude to the Pas leadership for nominating him as Khalid’s successor.

“However, I stand true to the party’s decision to have only one candidate for the menteri besar seat, Dr Wan Azizah,” he said.

After the press conference, Azmin told reporters that he will honour the commitment to the statutory declaration that was submitted by him and other Pakatan’s Selangor assemblymen in support of Dr Wan Azizah’s nomination on Thursday.

“(While) I appreciate and welcome the decision taken by Pas to nominate me as one of the candidates, as deputy president of (PKR), I have to honour the commitment to the statutory declaration that was signed.”

“So it is not about the issue of being disrespectful to Pas and its leadership. I have very high regard and respect for them.”

When asked whether this was Azmin’s personal sacrifice to the party, he said: “To me, the party comes first. We must, at all cost, save Pakatan.”

The decision made by the coalition today runs contrary to the earlier decision made by the Pas Syura council on Aug 6, which did not accept Dr Wan Azizah’s nomination.

Pas deputy president Mohamad Sabu had insisted that the party had not made a U-turn from that decision as the council’s stand not to support Dr Wan Azizah was made before Khalid was sacked from PKR on Aug 9.