Selangor PAS offer 4 of their own for MB post, insider discloses

(Malay Mail Online) – Selangor PAS wants its own men considered as candidates to helm Malaysia’s richest state, according to a report in Utusan Malaysia.

The Islamist party’s state chapter has submitted the names of its four representatives to the central leadership to mull over, the Malay daily reported today, citing an insider source — disregarding an agreement within the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact for PKR to have dibs on the mentri besar post.

The four PAS leaders said to be on the nominee list are state party commissioner Iskandar Abdul Samad (pic); his deputy Sallehen Mukhyi; state party treasurer Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi; and Tanjung Sepat assemblyman Mohd Haslin Hassan.

“The four names represent the voice and the will of the leadership and members on a grassroots level who want the mentri besar post to be filled by a Selangor PAS leader,” Utusan quoted an unnamed source as saying.

“The list has taken into account the political situation in Selangor which has seen PAS sacrifice a lot to ensure Pakatan’s victory in the 2008 and 2013 general elections,” the same source added.

The Selangor palace has given Pakatan Rakyat (PR) until September 3 to decide on their candidates for the mentri besar post, according to an official letter sent to DAP, PAS and PKR on Wednesday.

Selangor PAS has previously said it would submit more than two names for the job, in defiance of an August 17 PR presidential council’s decision to nominate only Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for the job.

But PKR and DAP said it would stick with its push to nominate PKR president Dr Wan Azizah as their sole Selangor mentri besar candidate, despite the Selangor Sultan’s order that PR parties nominate more than two names each.

PAS had previously backtracked on its decision to support PKR and the DAP in solely nominating Dr Wan Azizah after the three parties met on August 17, prompting talks that there was no way to save the pact as it was heading for an inevitable break up.

Before the PR presidential council meeting on August 17, where the three parties had agreed on Dr Wan Azizah’s sole nomination, PAS had suggested proposing both Dr Wan Azizah and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali for the top government post in Selangor.