ANWAR: We respect Sultan's request but Pakatan has duty to stick to ONE NAME

UPDATE 3 KUALA LUMPUR - Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said he respected the request from the Palace to submit at least two names for the post of the Mentri Besar or Chief Minister but his PKR party was bound by the latest decision of the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council.

The PR top decision-making council had earlier this month overwhelmingly voted in favor of PKR president Wan Azizah, naming her as their sole candidate for the post.

"We are bound by the latest decision by the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council where there was representation by the leaders of all 3 parties and the consensus was to submit one name. In the event, (there is insistence) on the need for change particularly by a party, then I think the Pakatan Rakyat leadership should be duly informed, then there might come a new decision because as far as I am concerned that (the Aug 17) was the final decision," Anwar told reporters who surrounded him at the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning.

Don't sell out or betray the Opposition's struggle to bring reform

When asked if any of the Pakatan component parties - PAS, DAP or PKR - had called for another council meeting following the Sultan's request to each of the three parties to submit at least 2 names, Anwar said the August 17 decision was final.

Malaysia Chronicle understands that decisions taken by the Pakatan council cannot be changed at random but needed to be overturned by agreement before fresh new decisions could be established.

Anwar was asked for his comments on news that PAS plans to submit the names of 3 PKR reps to the Sultan for him to pick as the new MB.

The 67-year-old Opposition Leader, who has previously warned that it was politically unwise for PAS to break ranks, repeated his advise.

He pointed out that in the past, while all 3 parties submitted their own letters of support to the Sultan, the same name was offered after due consultation at the Pakatan level.

The ramifications of acceding to the royal request for more than one name had serious implications for Malaysia's budding democracy, Anwar said.

"There was no request by any party to convene because that was already the final decision. In fact, mechanisms were put in place including a legal team to work it out," he said.

"I am appealing to all parties to respect that and if there are strong views, they should appreciate the ramifications of submitting other names. No 1 - creating a precedent set in the next election, for example (if e win), we have to submit 2 or 3 names to the Tuanku Agong to decide who should be Prime Minister. In the case of MB-ship, if that is the tradition accepted, then all states have to do that which I don't think is the right decision. I mean I do respect the intention of the Palace to submit but it is always our duty to also advise accordingly."

Far-reaching implications for Malaysia's fragile democracy

The Sultan had after meeting outgoing Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim on Tuesday had issued a letter to all three Pakatan parties, setting a Sept 3 deadline and the request to each to submit at least 2 names.

Legal experts have opined that there is no legal ground for the Ruler to demand more than one name.The Selangor Sultan is a constitutional monarch, whose powers are largely ceremonial.

Recently, the Johor Sultan had wanted to have final say on who formed the committee in charge of the state's housing programs. A hue and cry ensued as Johor folk and Malaysians across the nation feared their democracy would be reduced if the move materialized, on the grounds that it might signal a return to a real or absolute monarch status.

In the Selangor case, some opine that the right to pick the MB or PM had even greater implications on Malaysia's fragile democratic processes.

"The MB or PM is the top executive of the state or the country respectively. It is the people's choice as chanelled via the representatives they picked at the ballot box to decide for them until the next general election. To hand the choice of MB to the Sultan would disrespect the rights of the Selangor voters," Eddie Wong, a Pakatan watcher told Malaysia Chronicle.

Under a legal precedent set by the Federal Court in a decision involving the Perak state government, it was ruled that a Sultan had to pick an MB who commanded the majority support of the state assembly representatives.

If the Selangor Sultan disregarded the apex court ruling, it would throw the entire state further into confusion and prolong the month-long crisis which erupted after Khalid refused to surrender the MB post and conduct a smooth power transition.

Royal roadblock would only lead to vote of no-confidence

According to Professor Gurdial Singh from the University of Malaya's law faculty, if the Sultan picked an MB who did not command the confidence of the majority, the state assembly could at its next sitting pass a vote of no-confidence, thereby negating the Sultan's choice.

The Selangor assembly is due to meet only in November and should the Umno-inclined Palace engage in a tussle with the Pakatan state government, the political impasse would continue as the Sultan is unlikely to approve an earlier emergency sitting.

Pakatan holds 43 of the state assembly's 56 seats. Azizah commands the support of 43 reps, and holds statutory declarations of support to be MB from 30 including 2 reps from PAS.

Given such a circumstance, even if PAS president Hadi Awang insisted on nominating two other reps apart from her, she would still command the most support as PKR and DAP have stated their stand to stick to the precedent of submitting only one name - which in the current case is Azizah. - Malaysia Chronicle