`


THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH
read:
MALAYSIA Tanah Tumpah Darahku

LOVE MALAYSIA!!!


 


Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Royal twist dims Azizah's bid


ANALYSIS After the infamous “Kajang Move” failed to install Anwar Ibrahim as the next Selangor menteri besar, PKR insisted that his wife and party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail helms the state.

Agreeing to this, DAP also threw its weight behind Wan Azizah while the Pakatan Rakyat leadership endorsed it later.

But PAS, which initially backed Wan Azizah and her deputy Azmin Ali, had yesterday refused to ink statutory declarations pledging support for the PKR president.

Amid intense criticism, PAS denied it had made a “U-turn” and chose to term its decision as a “roundabout” instead.

But now, the Selangor sultan has added a royal twist to the protracted saga, which has threatened to rip apart the opposition bloc.

Though the ruler opted for a smooth transition of power instead of dissolving the assembly and holding a snap polls, his latest request indicated that the imbroglio is not over.

He instructed PKR, DAP and PAS to submit “two or more” names for the post and asked current menteri besar Khalid Ibrahim not to step down until a replacement is appointed.

This could be interpreted as a hint that the palace does not favour Wan Azizah as speculated before since the sultan is aware that Pakatan nominated only her name.

Therefore, it is now doubtful whether Wan Azizah would take over despite commanding majority support in the 56-member state assembly, with 30 reps, including two from PAS, backing her.

Azmin, who is also the Selangor PKR chief, had in the past expressed undivided support for his president, but at the same time, revealed his vision on how the state should be governed.

Survey shows Azmin least popular

A recent survey by independent pollster Merdeka Centre, however, found that Azmin is the least popular candidate for the post.

It also remains to be seen if he could muster the support of his fellow Pakatan assemblypersons as well.

Nevertheless, the sultan has given his prospects a boost. And now, the focus is on whose names would be proposed by the three parties.

While it is certain that PKR and DAP would propose Wan Azizah, the question is whether the two would include Azmin in their respective lists.

Since the onset, PKR has insisted on one name and DAP has taken the same path.

On the other hand, PAS is expected to stick to both Wan Azizah and Azmin.

When the Selangor crisis was at its peak, PAS had decided to back Khalid, a move which strained ties with its political allies.

And when its central committee resolved to endorse Wan Azizah, PAS’ traditional rival Umno castigated the Islamic party, accusing it of being beholden to Anwar and DAP.

On the same note, PAS made it clear that the party is not interested in the Selangor menteri besar post despite having the highest number of elected reps among the Pakatan parties.

However, observers pointed out that given the current trend, perhaps PAS would make another “roundabout” decision with the consent of the ruler.

And should the palace reject Wan Azizah, would the crisis end there?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.