Hold emergency state sitting to test your majority, DAP tells Khalid - TMI

With 30 Selangor assemblymen declaring their support for Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, DAP has now challenged embattled Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to convene an emergency state assembly sitting to test his majority.

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said ‎it is clear that the two-term MB has lost the confidence of the majority in the 56-seat assembly.

"As an emergency state assembly can only be convened by the menteri besar, is Khalid prepared to uphold the word and spirit of the Selangor constitution to convene such an emergency meeting?‎" he said in a statement today.

Fifteen DAP assemblymen, together with 13 from PKR and two from PAS, today declared their loss of confidence in Khalid and fully backed Dr Wan Azizah for the MB post.

This means Khalid now only has support from opposition Umno who has 12 representatives, as well as himself who is now an independent candidate after he was sacked from PKR last week for defying party orders to make way for Dr Wan Azizah.

Islamist party PAS has 15 assemblymen in the state, of which 13 has yet to declare their stand.

PAS Hulu Kelang assemblyman Saari Sungib and Morib assemblyman Hasnul Baharuddin today were the first state lawmakers from Selangor PAS to publicly back Dr Wan Azizah.

In an immediate response, a defiant Khalid had said he remained the MB until the state assembly deemed otherwise.

Lim said today's development also showed that Khalid had committed a "grave wrong" for misleading the Selangor sultan into believing that he commanded the support of the majority, when he knew that it was not the case.

On Monday, Khalid said the state ruler had consented to him remaining as MB as he still commands the support from the majority of the assembly.

Lim said before his audience with the Sultan, Khalid was both duty and honour-bound to verify he still commanded the support of the majority of the state assembly members to continue as menteri besar.

This, he said, was to ensure that he would not be guilty of misleading the sultan.

"But despite being in the midst of a political crisis after being sacked as a member of PKR, Khalid never tried to verify with the Selangor state assembly representatives, particularly from the 43 PR reps, if he still commanded their support."

The DAP adviser said the only honourable way out for Khalid now is to resign gracefully. – August 14, 2014.