Report: PAS, BN woo former Selangor MB to help regain state

(FMT) – Sources reveal former Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim has been seen meeting with both PAS and BN leaders as Prime Minister Najib Razak sees state as ultimate prize.

Talk is rife of a joint Umno-PAS collaboration to help the Barisan Nasional (BN) regain Selangor in the next general election (GE14), with a surprise move to get Khalid Ibrahim to return as menteri besar.

Khalid, who was formerly with PKR, was menteri besar of Selangor heading a Pakatan Rakyat coalition government from 2008 to 2014. He quit in 2014 following an extended campaign against him by his former party and its allies.

“He has been seen at the prime minister’s office several times recently,” a source told the Singapore’s Straits Times.

Khalid, who is state assemblyman for Port Klang as well as Bandar Tun Razak MP, has also not denied meeting with PAS and Umno officials.

“As an independent, I have the freedom to meet any party. For myself, there is no plan to run in the next elections.

“I am most thankful that PAS has stood by me till the end (of my administration). But to date, there is no plan to join the party,” he was quoted as saying by ST.

He is seen as the most credible candidate to lead the state should PAS and Umno win the majority of the state seats in the next general election.

“Prime Minister Najib Razak and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang have been in near-daily contact for several months, with plans afoot to cooperate in Selangor at a general election due within a year,” the Singapore daily said, quoting sources.

Selangor has 56 seats with Pakatan Harapan parties holding a slight edge having 29, over the collective number of assemblymen from BN, PAS and the independents.

DAP leads the number of state seats with 14, followed by PKR (13) and Amanah (2). Both Amanah assemblymen won their seats contesting as PAS candidates in the last general election (GE13).

Meanwhile, BN has 12 seats, all of which are under Umno, while PAS has 13 and the remaining two seats are under independent candidates (including Khalid).

esterday, PAS announced plans to contest in 42 state seats in Selangor, that is double the number of seats it contested in GE13.

The Islamist party said it will also be taking on current Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in Bukit Antarabangsa and Kajang, respectively.

The report also highlighted how the BN and PAS plan to take over the richest state in Malaysia which is also part of a plan to launch further agreements between the two parties at the national level.

The parties are taking such a strategy because, according to sources in Umno, Najib sees Selangor as key to his survival in the party should BN lose even more seats in GE14, despite retaining the parliamentary majority.

“Najib could face an internal revolt if ruling coalition BN only narrowly retains its control of Parliament.

“But winning back Selangor, regardless of what happens elsewhere, could ensure his longevity,” ST reported.