ACT OF TREACHERY: MB from Pas will lead to Pakatan break up - analyst

KUALA LUMPUR - The appointment of a Pas leader as the new Selangor menteri besar may inadvertently lead to the break-up of Pakatan, a political analyst said today.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia senior lecturer Dr Mazlan Ali said the Islamic party could be booted from the loose coalition if it accepted the appointment.

"PKR and DAP have long been adamant with nominating only (PKR president) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for the post.

"If Pas accepts the appointment, its leaders will be deemed as back stabbers and all hell will break loose in Pakatan," he told the New Straits Times when contacted.

Mazlan added that such a move by Pas would equate to an act of treachery in the eyes of its partners in the opposition alliance.

On Wednesday, sources close to the palace told the NST that the new MB, to be appointed on Tuesday, would not be a woman.

This decision effectively rules out the possibility of Dr Wan Azizah becoming Selangor's new chief executive.

With the exclusion of Dr Wan Azizah, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali and Pas Selangor commissioner Iskandar Abdul Samad were now considered front-runners for the post, said Mazlan.

"Prior to this, the names of these two individuals have been hotly bandied about. If the palace appoints Azmin as the new MB, I expect the leadership crisis to abate."

Mazlan said he was confident that Azmin would be able to gain the support of the majority of the 56-member state legislative assembly.

"Dr Wan Azizah had the support of 30 Selangor lawmakers to become the MB before the palace rejected her. I am sure PKR and DAP leaders will now support Azmin as he is also a leader from PKR.

"However, if Iskandar gets chosen, the crisis will only get worse from there," he pointed out.

On Thursday, Pas deputy president Mohammad Sabu made it clear that the party would reject the palace's appointment if one its assemblyman was chosen as the new MB.

However, signs of a split among top Pas leaders were evident after Pas secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali advised the party to accept any decision made by the palace.

Another political observer Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said Pakatan's refusal to accept the palace's decision, whatever it may be, would further deteriorate its public image.

"Given that Pakatan had previously agreed to reserve the MB post for PKR, Pas must consider the consequences before accepting the appointment," he said, adding that the selection of a Pas candidate was likely.

When contacted on Thursday, Azmin had denied receiving an invitation to the palace. "I know nothing about this and I deny it (that he will be appointed MB)."

Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had earlier decreed that he may select a candidate not nominated provided the rule believed he commanded the trust of the majority of the state assembly.

While Pas had declined to reveal the three names it had proposed for the MB post, sources had said Azmin’s name was believed to be missing from the party’s list.

Political pundit Khoo Kay Peng pointed out that the royal decree was unprecedented, and that it may lead to greater political instability in Selangor.

“I don’t think such a thing has happened before. In Perlis and Terengganu, although the respective palaces did not agree with the state governments’ choice of MB, they reached a compromise eventually. -NST