GOOD RIDDANCE Khalid: Remembered as the MB who had to be sacked for refusing to step down

I first met Abdul Khalid Ibrahim during his 2008 general election campaign for the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat. And, honestly, I found him and his speech boring.

Many of the constituents ignored him as well since they were unable to comprehend his stuttered speech.

I was still a college student at that time, and was given five minutes to interview him. This changed my perception about the man.

Although I forgot what we talked about, I still remember that he was much clearer and more convincing during one-to-one meetings as compared to when speaking in front of a crowd.

A month later, he went on to become Selangor’s menteri besar while I returned to my studies.

Two years later, I joined journalism and was tasked to cover Selangor state government activities. Our paths crossed again.

Last day as MB

Today is his last day as MB and everyone, especially the media, would have to get used to his absence.

Before this, Khalid expressed that he wanted to leave a legacy, in this case, bringing back the water concession companies to the state and people of Selangor.

After signing the deal last week, Khalid was seen to be more cheerful and only attended 'light functions'.

Last Saturday, he attended his last Japanese harvest festival 'Bon Odor' as MB at the Panasonic Stadium in Shah Alma.

Like previous years, Khalid joined the crowd, laughing into the night, with almost no security.

Khalid is a different individual when one meets him in private and views the corporate figure turned politician from a non-political point of view.

Journalists, mostly from the Selangor and Shah Alma bureaus, found him friendly and always ready to meet and answer impromptu questions without strict protocol and security, much to the chagrin of his own staff.

He was always accommodating of the media, but this changed at the peak of the MB crisis last month.

Journalists, who covered Khalid on a regular basis, were upset when he was sacked from PKR and heavily criticized by party leaders.

Several senior journalists also expressed concern if his replacement, be it from PKR or PAS, could match Khaki's administrative skills and performance.

During his six years at the helm, those who worked with and under him respected Khalid.

The ‘stingy’ leader

He was often referred to as being 'stingy'. On one hand, he was seen to be spending the state coffers carefully but on the other hand, he was viewed as not helping the party agenda.

However, he inspired fierce loyalty in the people who served him, be it old friends or new allies.

A couple of months ago, a state GLC chairperson, who does not came from the political background, confided in me about the development of the Selangor MB crisis.

According to him, Khalid's way of careful governance was different from any other politicians in his two decades of experience.

Despite being a corporate figurehead and millionaire, Khalid's appearance seemed 'different' from his contemporaries.

It was common to see him with disheveled hair and ill-fitting clothes. However, the 'scruffy' appearance made him more approachable.

I still remember how an elderly woman was stunned when she saw Khalid buying discount socks at the Giant Hypermarket during one of his 'Jom Shopping' events.

The woman, who was standing next to me, mumbled, "Tan Sri (Khalid) bought clothes in the same shop as I did.”

A poet at heart

Most people also don’t not know that Khalid is a fan of literature, especially poems.

Once in 2012, during an event to honour poet A Samad Said as Selangor’s 'Guest Laureate', Khalid gave a long speech interjected with several poems.

Although it took a long time and he struggled along the way, he continued, laughing with the audience whenever he made a mistake.

It cannot be denied that several of his policies courted public criticism, especially those regarding basic infrastructure such as road works and rubbish collection.

He was also criticised for dragging his feet on several issues and imposing bureaucratic red tape in awarding the Selangorku funds.

The manner in which he sidelined his political bosses could also be seen as one of the factors that led to his downfall.

Though vacating his post, Khalid would not disappear from the political scene. He would remain as the sole Independent MP in Parliament.

Farewell, Khalid, it has been a good show. -M'kini