PAS assures Azmin of its support in Selangor

PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Mustafa Ali says the partys assemblymen will support Azmin Ali as the new Selangor menteri besar. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, September 23, 2014.

PAS today gave the assurance that its assemblymen in Selangor would back Azmin Ali as the new Selangor menteri besar‎ (MB), after earlier reports suggested that the elected representatives were not in favour of the appointment.

Secretary-general Datuk Seri Mustafa Ali said the Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman had the support of the Islamist party’s assemblymen‎, including the 13 who had reportedly objected to his appointment during a meeting on August 25.

"Selangor PAS will accept any decision made by the PAS central leadership," he told a press conference in Pengkalan Kubor today.

Mustafa said the two state PAS assemblymen who had ‎signed a statutory declaration in support of PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail were still being investigated.

"They are still PAS members. Whether it (the investigation)‎ is slow or quick, that's just based on people's perception. We will follow our own pace."‎

The party’s information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar said unlike PKR and DAP, the Islamist party had not needed to convene to endorse Azmin, as they had already‎ done so during its August 17 meeting, where they had proposed both Azmin and Dr Wan Azizah for the top post.

"We welcome and abide by the sultan's decision to name Azmin as the Selangor MB. We would like to congratulate him on his appointment and we hope he can take up this huge responsibility to bring Selangor forward and ensure that its rakyat can continue to enjoy the state's wealth.

"We hope that the appointment by the Sultan of Selangor will end all issues related to the MB issue," said Mahfuz

Azmin took his oath of office before the Sultan of Selangor at Istana Alam Shah, Klang, this morning. He will be the 15th Selangor MB.‎

DAP and PKR have accepted Azmin as the new Selangor MB following the endorsement by Dr Wan Azizah, who ‎withdrew her candidacy for the post last night.

PKR and DAP had initially insisted that the PKR president was the only candidate suitable to helm the state.

Over the last few weeks, PKR had repeatedly said it was sticking to its stand of nominating only Dr Wan Azizah for the MB post, despite reprimands from the Selangor palace over its decision to submit only one name.

DAP and PKR had submitted only Dr Wan Azizah's name for the post, although DAP was open to the idea of Azmin replacing Khalid.

PAS, however, broke ranks with its partners when its president, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, submitted three names to the palace.

The three are said to be Dr Idris Ahmad (PKR-Ijok), Dr Yakub Sapari (PKR-Kota Anggerik) and Iskandar Samad, the Selangor PAS commissioner, who is also a state executive councillor and Cempaka assemblyman.

It is not known if PKR and DAP submitted more names following the sultan’s reprimand, who had asked each Pakatan Rakyat (PR) party to submit more than two names.

Last week, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah reportedly interviewed and shortlisted three candidates for the job.

Apart from Azmin, he had also interviewed Iskandar and Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi, despite the Islamist party stating it would not stake a claim for the MB post.

- TMI