Pakatan Rakyat is Resolved on Selangor MB

The Pakatan Rakyat leadership just made a press statement on this matter. It was a clear statement to give face to PAS and Hadi who had earlier the day decided to stay with Pakatan Rakyat and also nominated Azmin as an additional candidate for the MB post. That move was veiled as a step to allow Hadi to save face for coming out to defend Khalid openly and then Khalid got the sack thereby making Hadi’s position totally untenable.

Tonight, PR press statement thanks PAS for the support and acknowledge their endorsement of Azmin. In a twist of face saving move, it also states that Azmin remains steadfast to the PKR decision to name Wan Azizah as the new MB of Selangor.

Wan Azizah shows the numbers, PAS duo gains the respect

PKR Wan Azizah, State rep for Kajang, had a press conference today together with 29 other reps from PKR, DAP and PAS. A total of 30 reps came out to declare a loss of confidence against MB Khalid in public. This is more than a simple majority of 28. A possible catch is that one of them is the Speaker of the State Assembly, Hannah Yeoh, who can cast her vote in the event of a tie in a no-confidence motion.

Anyway, as expected, Khalid brushed this aside as he says to wait until November when the house meets again to allow for the no-confidence motion. Meanwhile, he is getting ever so bold to change things in the Selangor State administration. He has only 4 PAS reps in the Exco now given that the remaining PKR rep resigned today. This is the minimum number allowed in the State Constitution. This may change on Sunday when PAS leadership meets to decide on their position.

The two PAS reps, Hulu Kelang Saari Sungib and Morib Hasnul Baharuddin, gained full respect of the voters as they stood up for Pakatan Rakyat without fear or favor. They were steadfast even in light of threats of investigation by PAS. They stood up for what they believed for, not themselves but the interest of Selangor and PR. Many voters asked where their PAS reps were given their support was crucial for such an important event. Alas, they chose to toe the line to wait for Sunday while Selangor burns with Khalid’s ridiculous moves.

MB Khalid Masterful Stroke

Today, MB Khalid made his move to show that he is no pushover. Despite being sacked from PKR, he must have sufficient indications of support from BN as well as HRH Sultan of Selangor. PAS must have also given the tacit support so that the remaining PAS Exco was the minimum number to form the State Exco while firing the rest of the 6 members from PKR and DAP.

The loan restructure for Khalid by alleged Umno lawyer has given him a new lease of boldness and one wonders if he is being a proxy for BN right now. There is no real meaning for Khalid to fight unless it is not his fight or he is forced to fight. Khalid’s political support is all but gone. The Selangor voters have written him off.

With the Sultan having gone overseas which is rather strange given the crisis in his state, his absence will cause the crisis to drag until his return. The Selangor reps can demonstrate the majority to propose a removal but will have to wait until the Sultan returns and grants an audience.

Dr Zuhdi Marzuki Warped Mind

Today, a report saying that Dr Zuhdi Marzuki is proposing a joint BN-PR Exco to resolve the Selangor MB issue shows a warped mind speaking. Strange he never proposed to the PAS Kelantan government or the Federal Government to do that. Is he genuinely trying to find a solution to this dicey situation? Or is that the general PAS consensus?

It appears that Dr Zuhdi is not a real leader and thinker or leader nor a strategist. It shows the lack of foresight PAS leaders have. The progressive PAS leaders are not speaking up but dull minded PAS thinking have made waves recently. PAS is supposed to be a mature party given the years they had going through the bitterness of relationship with Umno. They are still harboring the hopes of reuniting with Umno who kicked them out. What a mess of brain juice.

MB Khalid Last Stand

MB Khalid has been sacked from PKR. PAS must decide their position on the Selangor MB. DAP has decided to stand with PKR. Khalid met with HRH Sultan of Selangor to confirm his MB position. Khalid challenges his Exco to quit if they cannot work with him. DPM Muhyiddin says BN stands with Khalid as MB.

Anwar is scheduled to meet with Hadi later this week on this matter. Hadi had earlier made public his support for Khalid before he was sacked. Anwar believes he can resolve this delicate matter given Khalid is no longer a Pakatan Rakyat member.

Khalid has painted himself into a corner where he cannot stand down. His overinflated ego has destroyed his political career completely. Any party taking him in will be purely for political expedience. Once this MB episode finds its equilibrium, Khalid will be of no use. He has lost the public interest and support.

Make or Break for Pakatan in Selangor

MB Khalid has been hauled up to appear before the PKR disciplinary committee and it does not look like he will oblige. Sunday will be a date to reckon for Pakatan Rakyat as PKR and DAP and possibly PAS will meet within their leadership committees. The PAS syura already decided to back a decision to retain Khalid as MB. Will the PAS leadership concur?

Obviously, this episode is particularly interesting to all Malaysians, not just Selangorians. How Pakatan Rakyat as a coalition resolves this thorny issue will have significant impact on the future of Malaysia politics. How will PAS unravel itself without creating a split amongst its ranks? How will Anwar fix this while his Sodomy 2 appeal is rushed for hearing? This is a case for political magic by Anwar and the Pakatan Rakyat leadership. Will they stay for common goals or will they split for individual expedience?

MB Khalid argues that he cannot be questioned for his actions as MB for various executive decisions for things like Kidex, the water restructuring, etc. Apparently, MB Khalid forgot that he is not in private management any longer. He is appointed by PKR and supported by PAS and DAP. A political appointment. So he needs to answer to PKR and also the Selangor voters. So far, he has not attempted to do either.

His loan restructuring has become a very suspicious arrangement with Umno. A too good to be true deal always turns heads and theories.

Wake Up, Malaysia!

In the midst of utter confusion amongst comments raised by various groups regarding the recent JAIS action on the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) with the confiscation of over 300 Bibles in the Malay and Iban languages, Malaysians certainly need such a wakeup call on a better understanding of our laws of Malaysia. And no matter if we like it or not, the legal understanding of laws that applies to muslims and non-muslims in Malaysia must be accepted as fact of law. If there is contention on them being unfair or unconstitutional, only the Supreme Court can ultimately rule. This case, amongst a few others, are making Malaysians more aware of conflicts between Federal Laws, State Laws and Syariah.

Najib’s 10-Point Solution
The 10-point solution letter from PM Najib to Bishop Ng Moon Hing on 11 April 2011 is an Executive Order, if we can even use that word for the Malaysian Cabinet decision. It represented a Cabinet desire to defuse a sensitive situation in allowing the confiscated bibles to be retrieved by BSM but it does not represent an edict that can override the State Laws, Syariah or Federal Laws in the event it conflicts with them. Hence, to lean on the argument that what JAIS did was against the 10-point solution, so what?

DPM Desperate Appeal To Selangorians

DPM Muhyiddin was reported to appeal to the residents in Selangor to vote for BN in the coming General Election as they are supposedly duped by the PKR-led state government (read Duped for four years – Selangor folks need to choose, says DPM). Muhyiddin cited the BN standard accusation of a purported water crisis to impact Selangor in 2014 if the Langat 2 project is not supported by MB Khalid. Obviously, Muhyiddin forgot to mention how well Selangor had performed in their governance based on the Auditor General Report 2011. They were tops with resounding accolades but this does not augur well for a BN appeal. Furthermore, BN never had such recognition by the Auditor General as long as our memory serves us well.

The appeal appears to be a desperate measure without merit. There must be something BN can latch on since PR is not perfect, far from it. But what can that be?

That is the million Ringgit question that Najib and Muhyiddin are trying to find answers so that they can stump PR and get the residents of Selangor to see the reality of the failures of the state government. Only then will the voters swing over to BN again.

Even when the MSM who favors the ruling Federal Government cannot find real failures of the Selangor state government until today, it appears that the PR government is really doing something dramatically good beyond what the previous BN government can do. And all within the past 4 years.

The voters must be wondering if the same state government continues to rule for many more years, will Selangor continue to prosper and the residents enjoy the fruit of the prosperity?

Hulu Selangor: A Buy-Election of Many Tales

P. Kamalanathan of MIC defeated Zaid Ibrahim on Sunday 24 April 2010 in the Hulu Selangor by-election by 1,725 votes.  This is history.  BN took the better of PR in this by-election, no doubt about it.  This is a fact.  How it was won is not of particular importance to those who won.  But to those who lost, the reasons to explain are aplenty.

Summary Results of the 2010 Hulu Selangor By-Election

Kamalanathan – 24,997

Zaid – 23,272

Majority – 1,725

Total = 48,935

Spoilt – 731

With all the post election analysis coming out, every man and his dog have a theory about why BN won and why PR lost.  However, there are a few pertinent points that are worth looking at.