PAS: Only Sultan can remove exco members
(The Star) – PAS members in the Selangor executive council can only be ordered to vacate their posts by the Selangor Sultan.
Party secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali had no right to order the three PAS representatives to resign as they were appointed at the courtesy of the Sultan.
“In the Selangor constitution, it is stated that exco members in the state government hold their positions at the pleasure of the Sultan, even if it is on the advice of the Mentri Besar.
“That means as long as the Sultan favours the PAS assemblymen to be members of the exco, they will remain there,” he told a press conference at the PAS headquarters yesterday.
Takiyuddin was commenting on reports that Azmin had asked Chempaka assemblyman Datuk Iskandar Samad, Sijangkang assemblyman Datuk Ahmad Yunus Hairi and Taman Temple assemblyman Zaidy Abdul Talib to quit their posts during an hour-long meeting last Friday.
Azmin had called the meeting in the wake of the PAS Syura Council’s decision to end the tahaluf siyasi (political cooperation) with PKR last week.
The Islamist party is expected to hold a central committee meeting on Thursday to discuss the position of the PAS representatives in the Selangor government.
However, this would depend on whether there was a request in writing from the PKR-led state government for the three assemblymen to quit their posts, said PAS deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
He said the PAS leadership met the three assemblymen following their meeting with Azmin, where they claimed that there had been no request from the Mentri Besar for them to vacate their seats on the council.
“Until now, we have not received any official document or letter ordering PAS to leave the state government.
“So for now, we maintain the status quo and continue participating in the agenda for the state,” he said, adding that PAS would adopt a wait-and-see approach.
Tuan Ibrahim also refuted claims by Pribumi chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that the Islamist party was now an “unregistered component party of Barisan Nasional”.
