Selangor crisis likely to prolong if Dr Wan Azizah not made MB

(Malay Mail Online) – If PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail does not get the Selangor Sultan’s nod to be the next mentri besar next Tuesday, the ruler’s selected candidate may have to face a no-confidence vote in the next assembly sitting, a PKR leader said.

The move would mean keeping the country’s richest state in a state of turmoil, but the party source told Malay Mail Online that PKR cannot divert its course in the matter as at this point, no other Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmaker apart from Dr Wan Azizah has been proven to command the confidence of the Selangor assembly.

“For now, we will not speculate the palace’s decision. But on our part, we cannot move away from what is stated in the Constitution.

“Based on the Selangor Constitution, only the person who has the majority support of the state assembly can be made mentri besar. We cannot ignore this fact and we have not changed our minds about Dr Wan Azizah,” the source told Malay Mail Online this afternoon.

Dr Wan Azizah, who is PKR president, has secured the support of 30 state lawmakers in the 56-seat Selangor assembly through signed statutory declarations.

The source said for this reason, the party discussed yesterday the possibility of using a no-confidence motion in the coming November sitting to prove this.

Another option, the PKR leader said, is to challenge the palace’s appointment through the courts.

The source also confirmed that PKR leaders deliberated on a number of scenarios yesterday, including the possibility of its deputy president Azmin Ali being selected by the palace to be mentri besar or a PAS state lawmaker.

Azmin has not responded to media queries as yet but reports today claimed he could be among the candidates being considered by the state ruler as a potential mentri besar.

He is also said to have been called in for an interview with the Sultan earlier this week, along with PAS state executive councillors Iskandar Samad and Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi.

The PKR source said Azmin attended yesterday’s meeting and is well aware of the party’s options in the matter.

“He was there. He knows what is going on,” the source said.

The source added, however, that without any real clue from the palace on who would be selected for the post next week, all the party could do is wait for the final announcement.

“We will reconvene then and decide what to do next. Don’t forget, we need to speak to our partners in DAP as well,” the source said, adding dismissively that it is unclear what the PAS leadership plans to do should one of its own get selected.

The source noted, however, that should PAS decide to accept the post, the repercussions on PR’s future could prove damaging for the pact.

“How can we have an MB who does not have the assembly’s support?” he pointed out.

The Selangor palace has confirmed that it will appoint a new mentri besar on Tuesday, but has refused to identify the individual before then.

PKR and DAP have nominated Dr Wan Azizah for the post, but their refusal to name two other candidates along with her as requested by the Sultan led the ruler to rebuke the two parties and say he will no longer limit his selection to the named candidates.

Speculation is rife that the new MB will be either Azmin and or PAS’s Cempaka assemblyman Iskandar.