An end to the Selangor saga
Akil Yunus, The Star
AFTER an action-packed few weeks, the Selangor Mentri Besar crisis has slipped into a brief lull as the battling characters await the return of the Sultan from an overseas trip.
In a Michael Bay film, this is the part that would probably get edited out.
Nevertheless, it looks like the proponents of the “Kajang move” have finally got their wish, and Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim will be forced to relinquish his post as mentri besar.
There could yet be a final twist to the tale as Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah may not consent to PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as Khalid’s replacement, preferring her deputy Azmin Ali instead.
An alternate ending is that the people of Selangor could be burdened with another state election should the Sultan choose, on Khalid’s advice, to agree to the dissolution of the State Assembly.
As a journalist who’s been reporting the rapid twist and turns in the saga from Day One, the entire journey has felt like a very long rollercoaster ride.
While I’m glad that Khalid has accepted his fate, I would be lying if I said I will not miss him. Under him, Selangor has prospered in more than just a monetary way, despite shortcomings that are part and parcel of being a leader.
He is one of the humbler politicians I’ve met, and has always exuded a down-to-earth persona on the various occasions I’ve been assigned to cover his functions.
Truth be told, his blatant defiance of PKR’s order to step down is probably the most confrontational I have ever seen him, and that’s saying something of a man who’s had to repeatedly deal with party superiors telling him how to do his job.
When he goes, I do hope that the Pakatan Rakyat government seeks some continuity in the execution of policies and projects which Khalid initiated in the interests of the people.
His successor, I feel, will not have much time to settle into her new job, as she needs to quickly live up to her party’s promise that Selangor can be better with her in charge.
It will be no easy feat, as she replaces a mentri besar who has nearly tripled the state’s reserves in his six years at the helm, from RM1.8bil in 2008 to RM3.2bil this year.
If and when Dr Wan Azizah is appointed, she needs to immediately get to work on the bread-and-butter issues facing the people.
Given that PKR was quick to point out Khalid’s failure to address several issues in the state, I’m hoping Dr Wan Azizah already has a solution in mind for these problems.
Potholes on Selangor roads and the poor management of garbage collection were among the weaknesses listed in PKR’s extensive dossier on Khalid to justify his removal.
His successor must therefore sit down with the local authorities to seek a swift solution to these issues, as they are among the top concerns of Selangor residents.
For instance, I’m fairly certain my one-year-old car would not be making creaking noises had its suspension not been severely tested by the condition of some roads in the state.
More importantly, Selangor’s new mentri besar must ensure there is no backtracking on the water deal signed by Khalid with the Federal Government.
With further rounds of water rationing an ever-present threat, Selangor residents including myself will not take kindly to any attempt to undo the good work Khalid has done to resolve the state’s water crisis once and for all.
I do feel Dr Wan Azizah faces an uphill task of proving that she can be a leader in her own right.
I’m not saying this because she’s a woman, but because she has a reputation for “warming the seat” for her husband, PKR de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
At a press conference recently, Dr Wan Azizah admitted that she would not hesitate to consult her husband on executive matters.
While being an “adviser” to the Selangor government is not new for Anwar, all signs point to a more “hands-on” involvement now that his wife is in charge.
The potential scenario of a “de-facto” Mentri Besar would be unprecedented, and probably not what the Selangor voters had in mind when they returned Pakatan to power in GE13.
Assuming that the coalition can avoid snap polls in the state, Dr Wan Azizah will have about four years before the next general election to prove her mettle.
Any result to the contrary could see the coalition struggling to hold onto the crown jewel that is Selangor, let alone the dream of taking Putrajaya.
