Shura council forbids PAS from picking Wan Azizah, Azmin for Selangor MB post, reports Utusan
The names of the two PKR lawmakers submitted to the Selangor palace are not party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail or her deputy Azmin Ali.
(The Malaysian Insider) – PAS’s top decision-making Shura Council had decided that the Islamist party nominate two party lawmakers and two from PKR for the Selangor menteri besar post, secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali was quoted as saying in Utusan Malaysia today.
The names of the two PKR lawmakers submitted to the Selangor palace are not party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail or her deputy Azmin Ali, which PAS had agreed to in its July 17 meeting.
It is understood that one of the names from PKR is Ijok assemblyman Dr Idris Ahmad, who was previously widely speculated to be nominated to replace Selangor MB Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.
The other names are Dr Yaakob Sapari (PKR-Kota Anggerik) and PAS exco Iskandar Abdul Samad, who is also Selangor PAS commissioner.
However, Mustafa refused to divulge the names of the three assemblymen submitted by the party to the Selangor palace as it had something to do with the Shura Council.
According to Mustafa, he was informed of the decision by the Shura Council, which clearly had a different opinion from the PAS central committee, which wanted to nominate only Dr Wan Azizah and Azmin.
“The letter presented to the sultan was signed by the president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang. The president’s people arranged the delivery, it was not done through PAS secretary-general’s office.
“This is a normal practice, just as how the Selangor menteri besar was appointed after the 2008 and 2013 general elections, when each party named its own candidates,” Mustafa was reported as saying by the Umno-owned daily.
Meanwhile, Shura Council secretary Datuk Nik Muhammad Zawawi Nik Salleh confirmed to Utusan Malaysia that the candidate list was sent by the PAS president’s office to the palace yesterday.
He, too, refused to reveal the names of the three candidates, adding that it was up to Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah to decide on the matter.
Asked what was the likelihood that one of the two PKR candidates was Dr Wan Azizah, he said: “That, I don’t know, I don’t want to comment. Maybe there is (Dr Wan Azizah), maybe there isn’t. Just wait and see, we leave it up to the Selangor Sultan (to decide)”.