Azmin on solid ground

He is unlikely to be subjected to a vote of no confidence by the state assembly.

PETALING JAYA: The political climate in Selangor appears to be calming down and Azmin Ali looks secure in his position as Menteri Besar (MB), according to pundits.

“Azmin is, for the moment at least, unlikely to receive a vote of no confidence from the Selangor State Assembly as the three Pakatan Rakyat (PR) component parties have all thrown their support behind him,” said senior lawyer Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos.

“What hangs in the balance now is how he performs as the Selangor MB.”

University Kebangsaan Malaysia political science lecturer Ahmad Nidzamudin Sulaiman agreed, saying Azmin was likely to serve Selangor “for a long time”.

But he said the six-month political crisis had left many unsettled questions that PR, especially PKR, must address. “It is critical for the leadership of PKR and its members to unite on a common ground so they do not face any negative pressure from PAS or DAP within the coalition in terms of policies in governing the state.”

Constitutional law expert Abdul Aziz Bari said Azmin’s appointment as the MB had put an end to the political crisis in Selangor.

He said PR must now govern Selangor according to what is written in the state constitution.

Aziz agreed with Jahaberdeen that “whether Selangor would be in turmoil or otherwise will depend on Azmin’s performance.”

James Chin of Monash University said, “PR has endorsed Azmin’s position and he now has to stick to the coalition’s plans in terms of running Selangor.”

He added, “If he does this, the risk of having a vote of no confidence lodged against him by the assembly is unlikely. Barring any last minute changes, Azmin’s appointment has effectively derailed PKR’s desire to nominate the party president for the job”

Azmin was among three candidates who had an audience with the Sultan of Selangor last week, who presumably assessed their suitability for the top post. The other candidates were PAS Sijangkang assemblyman Ahmad Yunus Hairi and Chempaka assemblyman Iskandar Abdul Samad.

The MB crisis dominated the news for weeks after Khalid Ibrahim was expelled from PKR for refusing to relinquish the post.

On August 9, PKR disciplinary committee chairman Tan Kee Kwong said Khalid had defied the party leadership’s decision to nominate party president Wan Azizah Ismail for the Selangor MB’s job.

Khalid subsequently lost the majority support of the state assembly. However, the Sultan of Selangor told him to remain as the MB until a suitable candidate was found to replace him.

The Sultan asked each party in PR to submit more than two names, but PKR and DAP ignored the request and sent in Wan Azizah’s name as their sole nominee. PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang sent in three names to the palace. The three were said to be Idris Ahmad (PKR- Ijok), Yakub Sapari (PKR- Kota Anggerik) and Selangor PAS commissioner and executive councillor Iskandar Samad.