… And will Khalid back her, too?

(The Star) – The Mentri Besar saga could take yet another bizarre twist with Tan Sri Khalid Ahmad endorsing PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to take over from him.

This is because the Mentri Besar does not want to see PKR deputy president Azmin Ali replacing him, a source close to Khalid said.

“I believe Khalid would rather concede defeat to Dr Wan Azizah and he would offer to arrange an audience for her with the Sultan,” said the PKR member.

Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah declined Dr Wan Azizah’s requests to meet him earlier this month.

The source said Khalid might not even seek dissolution of the state assembly to ease a smooth transition of power between him and Dr Wan Azizah, the wife of Pakatan Rakyat’s de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Khalid, who had refused to resign and make way for Dr Wan Azizah, was sacked by PKR last week.

PAS decided not to back Khalid to stay on as Mentri Besar yesterday but asked for Azmin’s name to be included together with Dr Wan Azizah’s, as options for the post.

Azmin has since declared that he would abide by the PKR’s decision to only submit Dr Wan Azizah’s name.

Khalid’s former political secretary Faekah Husin said neither Dr Wan Azizah nor Azmin commanded majority support to be the Mentri Besar.

“It’s best to have a forum to trash out the pros and cons of having either one of them as Mentri Besar,” she said.

National Professors’ Council political cluster head Prof Datuk Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak Khalid said he believed Khalid would “fight to the end.”

“If he still can’t prevent Azmin from taking over, Khalid will ask for a dissolution of the state assembly,” he said.