Sultan’s ‘constitutional duty’ to pick MB with majority support, Bersih 2.0 says

(Malay Mail Online) – With speculation abound over who the Selangor Sultan will choose as the state’s next mentri besar, polls watchdog Bersih 2.0 said today it is the ruler’s “constitutional duty” to appoint a candidate who commands the assembly majority.

This candidate, the group insisted in a statement here, is PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

“Dr Wan Azizah… enjoys the support of 30 state assemblypersons – an unquestionable majority in the 56-seat Selangor state assembly,” Bersih 2.0 chief Maria Chin Abdullah said on behalf of the group’s steering committee.

Bersih 2.0 said all parties involved in the protracted dispute should respect the rules of the game in the matter of appointing a chief executive of a state, which it said is enshrined not just in the established British Westminster constitutional conventions but also in the Selangor Constitution.

It pointed out that Article 53(2)(a) maintains that the one who gets chosen to be MB must “command the confidence of the majority of the members of the assembly”.

This, therefore makes it the “Sultan’s constitutional duty to subsequently appoint the MB in accordance to Article 53(2)(a) of Selangor state constitution”, Bersih 2.0 said.

Changing the rules, it added, would not only prolong the crisis in Selangor, it would also lead to the collapse of the system of parliamentary democracy.

Bersih 2.0 said the appointment of the next Selangor MB is not about who is the best candidate but about showing respect for the system and allowing it to continue to function for the sake of the future.

“The competence or suitability of the head of government and his/her ministers is to be objectively decided by popularity in the House, not by any subjective assessment by any unelected institution,” the group said.

“Bersih 2.0 cautions that, if the MB is decided by an unelected institution and not by the majority party / coalition in the elected legislature, then not only Selangor will not have a state government fully responsible to the state assembly, the nation’s future after the 14th general elections will be uncertain,” it added.

Earlier this week, the Selangor palace confirmed that a new mentri besar will be sworn in next Tuesday, catching Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers by surprise.

According to a report on The Star yesterday, Dr Wan Azizah was not part of the list of three who were called up for interviews with the Selangor Sultan over the week, presumably over their potential to be the next chief executive of the country’s richest state.

The English daily said the three were PAS state executive councillors Iskandar Samad and Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi, and Dr Wan Azizah’s deputy, Azmin Ali.

PKR has remained adamant that Dr Wan Azizah is the best choice for the MB post, as the PKR president previously secured from 30 state lawmakers in the 56-seat Selangor assembly.

The party has insisted that this was clear proof that she commands the majority support among the state’s elected representatives.