Khalid, PAS may have helped Umno to Selangor snap polls: But Pakatan will TRIUMPH

Khalid Ibrahim, Umno’s pawn in Selangor, had been playing the game of divide-and-rule among the Pakatan coalition partners for years now. He was purportedly a PKR assemblyman but was in reality doing whatever he wanted.

In the last few weeks Khalid’s behavior could only be described as “kurang-ajar”. He had mistaken PKR’s democratic operational methods for weakness. Today PKR proved him wrong, and sent a strong message to all others who may be tempted to trifle with the party’s rules or breach party lines.

Huge contracts to Umno

Of late Khalid had taken to handing out huge contracts to Umno’s cronies, uncaring of Pakatan policies, as in the example of the Kidex Highway, the Langat 2 project, or the water concession agreement. In the case of the water concession agreement, Khalid made a unilateral decision, and was seen on TV simpering and bowing to BN’s villainous leaders like Najib and Muhyiddin. For those who had been gassed, jailed, beaten, threatened and harassed for decades by the anti-democratic and lawless BN, it was a puzzling and horrible scene.

Khalid, of course, was no dedicated activist. He was a fat cat. He had always been a fat cat. He had a sense of entitlement that was completely at odds with his clear lack of competence. He also had a huge loan from Bank Islam that he would rather not pay. And BN’s greedy cronies had huge contracts that they would like from Selangor. It was a perfect match. Before you knew it, Khalid became indistinguishable from Khir Toyo. And the Umno crony battalions, hungry mouths agape, went into a feeding frenzy on the Selangor treasury.

PAS' tacit OK to Umno: Hudud and Hadi's personal jealousy towards Anwar

At this point, one would expect Pakatan parties to immediately remove Khalid Ibrahim from his position. But sections of PAS started dancing to Umno’s tune, possibly for misogynistic reasons. PAS started using delaying tactics, moving their meeting from the 10th to the 13th and then again, to the 17th of August, frustrating its coalition partners and the general public who wanted Khalid gone. It was quite the Gordian knot.

On Saturday the 9th of August PKR did the unexpected, and in an Alexandrian resolve, disposed of the Gordian knot by unceremoniously sacking Khalid Ibrahim from the party.

Good day for new politics, bad day for Khalid & hangers-on

It is a good day for PKR. They will be viewed as a decisive and strong party.

It is a bad day for Khalid Ibrahim. He is now useless to Umno. He can join the trio of Nallakaruppan, Ummi Hafilda and Ezam, turning it into a toxic quartet. They will stand on podiums and vent their bitter spite to well-arranged rows of empty chairs.

It is a bad day for the hangers-on who have profited during Khalid Ibrahim’s too-long tenure. The list is long, many of them activists turned rent-seekers. They must be weeded-out and never allowed to profit from public funds again. This would include all levels, right up to the exco. The incompetent must be removed. The contracts signed by the discredited Khalid must be reviewed.

Disastrous end

The redoubtable Latheefa Koya, in her tweet had this to say about Khalid Ibrahim’s hangers-on: “a number of numbskull advisors/mercenary writers helped Khalid to this disastrous end”. No names were specified.

However, Faekah Husin, prone to sending out unwise tweets, is a close advisor and gatekeeper to Khalid Ibrahim. Nathaniel Tan, a supposed PKR activist, has been writing numerous articles in support of Khalid. Khalid’s legal advisors include Edmund Bon, a human rights advocate, who is now incongruously paired with one of Umno’s creatures . It may very well have been a foolish legal notice from Bon (on behalf of Khalid), presuming to threaten the Keadilan disciplinary committee, that precipitated Khalid’s sacking.

It is a good day for freedom and democracy, because PKR has, with one blow, ended BN’s evil machinations in Selangor.

And most important of all, it is a good day for Selangor. It will be managed by a new leader, the calm, capable and reliable DS Wan Azizah.

Now can Selangor finally move towards its day in the sun. - Malaysia Chronicle