PKR’s reaction to Azmin as MB will determine Pakatan’s future, says veteran newsman
Elizabeth Zachariah, The Malaysian Insider
Pakatan Rakyat’s survival and relevance will depend on its reaction to the appointment of Mohamed Azmin Ali as Selangor menteri besar as he was not the party’s first choice for the top post, a veteran newsman said today.
Datuk A. Kadir Jasin said Azmin was more the choice of the palace and PKR was forced to endorse his candidacy at the last minute after it failed to ensure that party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was the sole candidate for the MB position.
“Whether Pakatan Rakyat is at the brink of destruction or entering into a new phase, it depends on its reaction to Azmin’s appointment today,” he said in a blog posting.
“If PKR can compromise and accept this decision with wisdom, Azmin can be MB without disturbance and can prove whether he is capable or not in running Selangor which has sacrificed many MB.”
However, he warned that if PKR continued to be stubborn and vengeful, it is possible that Azmin will be another unfortunate MB and Pakatan will become more irrelevant to the people of Selangor.
Kadir, the former group-editor-in-chief of the New Straits Times, said that Azmin could only hope that his loyalty and the close relationship with PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would ensure he did not end up like his predecessor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.
“PKR and Anwar’s fanatic supporters can use many ways to threaten Azmin’s position just as they did to Khalid in the past few months.
“Azmin only has one hope – the closeness and his undivided and long-time loyalty towards Anwar. He has been so patient and endured the insults and abuse by others for his devotion to Anwar.
“In the 16 years Anwar was in Umno and as long as Azmin was his personal officer, I have seen how he was ridiculed and slandered for his loyalty, but he remained faithful,” Kadir added.
PKR had engineered the “Kajang Move” in order to remove Khalid as MB by getting Dr Wan Azizah a seat in the Selangor legislative assembly.
However, the political manoeuvre failed after Dr Wan Azizah’s candidacy as MB was met with opposition from the palace and PR partner, PAS.
Instead, Azmin, who is PKR number two and Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman, was sworn in as the 15th Selangor MB today – a blow to Anwar who was hoping to see his wife as the new MB.
Kadir said that if PKR was still insistent in forcing its wants on all parties, especially on Selangor voters, just to see the “Anwar dynasty” in power, the people of Selangor should review its support for PKR and Pakatan.
“The drama and Selangor’s political antics are not funny anymore. Since the Selangor MB crisis was triggered, the parties in PR look like they are drunk on toddy and under the influence of drugs.
“It also tests Anwar’s wisdom and effectiveness as PR leader. If PKR, PAS and DAP still feel they are responsible towards the people who voted for them and the tax payers, then they should stop making jokes. It is not funny anymore,” he added.
