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Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim is losing his Pakatan Rakyat’s colleagues’ support as Selangor menteri besar, who accuse him of ignoring them when it comes to handling of major issues in the country's wealthiest state.
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After enjoying PAS’s unquestioned support for six years, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s job as Selangor menteri besar is now on shaky ground, with the Extremist party's state chapter joining Anwar's PKR and Ultra Chinese DAP in calling for his removal over his handling of major issues without consultation in the country's wealthiest state.
Khalid’s tendency to make decisions without consulting his Ultra Chinese DAP, PAS and PKR partners has left PAS out in the cold, despite the party’s initial unprecedented loyalty towards him, said several low level state PAS officials.
“This was what was voiced during a meeting by the Selangor PAS communication body, that all 22 PAS leaders in Selangor agreed to support Khalid’s removal as he has brought trouble,” Selangor PAS election chief Jaafar Sulaiman told The Malaysian Insider.
Sulaiman however did not go into specifics on what trouble has Tan Sri Khalid brought to the state.
He said many of the problems plaguing Selangor at present were the result of Khalid’s weak leadership and his refusal to listen to PAS.
Jaafar also urged the PAS central leadership, DAP and PKR to replace Khalid with a better qualified candidate accepted by the coalition.
PKR had earlier this year initiated the “Kajang move” to replace Khalid with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the Selangor menteri besar.
But the move was stymied when the Court of Appeal in March overturned Anwar’s acquittal on a charge of sodomising his former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan in 2008 and sentenced him to five years’ jail.
The court’s decision forced PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to contest the Kajang seat instead of Anwar in the March 23 by-election. The seat had been vacated by former state assemblyman Lee Chin Cheh, who stepped down to pave the way for Anwar.
Jaafar felt that Khalid’s weaknesses were becoming more apparent in his handling of issues, such as the water concessionaires’ takeover, the seizure of the Malay and Iban Bibles from the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM), and the Kidex Highway, opposed by Petaling Jaya residents.
Jaafar said the raids on BSM and a wedding at a Hindu temple were in line with Selangor Umno’s “seize Selangor agenda”, meant to provoke religious sentiments among non-Muslims to reduce their support for Pakatan.
The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) earlier this month disrupted a wedding ceremony at a Hindu temple in Petaling Jaya on suspicion that the bride was a Muslim.
Jaafar added that Khalid had given excessive power to civil servants in local state authorities, allowing them to bypass the PR-appointed council members.
“For instance, officers in the local authorities took over the management of night markets from the Village Security and Development Committees (JKKK) led by PR parties.
“When we asked the officers, they said it was the menteri besar’s directive,” said Jaafar.
PAS Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad agreed with Jaafar, saying they had decided that Khalid must be replaced with a leader acceptable to all PR parties.
“I don’t see how a menteri besar can stay if his own party rejects him,” Khalid told The Malaysian Insider.
When asked why this issue had resurfaced, Khalid said it had been on the backburner because of the ongoing PKR elections.
“Many kept quiet as they were worried that any attacks against Khalid were seen as a smear campaign against him, as he is contesting the PKR deputy presidency,” said Khalid, who was previously a staunch supporter of the menteri besar.
Former Selangor PAS commissioner Dr Rani Othman said the menteri besar’s main problem was that he neither listened to nor consulted his colleagues in PR.
“When this issue was being discussed before this, I once mentioned to him that we do not intend to replace him, but now we do,” said Dr Rani, who is Meru assemblyman.
Dr Rani said he had once advised Khalid to approach his PR colleagues and consider their views.
“The issue I told him about was the local authorities. This is the issue that could eventually bring down PR,” he said.
PAS Hulu Klang MP Shaari Sungib said DAP had previously raised the issue of Khalid’s removal, but the discussion was not brought to the PR level.
“But if this goes on and causes PR to lose in the next general election, we will have to face up and put our facts together,” he said.
Selangor PKR leader Mohamed Azmin Ali has not seen eye-to eye with Khalid and his administration, while DAP’s leaders, such as Gobind Singh Deo, have openly attacked his leadership.
DAP Raub MP Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz recently wrote on his blog Sakmongkol AK47 that if Khalid was not replaced, BN would retake Selangor in the next general election.
However, when asked to respond to Ariff’s statement, Khalid said: “No, you must ask Raub. He is not a representative from Selangor.” – June 20, 2014.
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