PKR's candidate for Selangor menteri besar, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, today shrugged off suggestions that some from within her party feel that Mohamed Azmin Ali should also be considered for the top post in the state."The party has chosen me, thank you," she said briefly when met by reporters at a dinner programme with Ampang residents in Selangor.
She was responding to reports that Selangor PKR leaders had said Azmin, the PKR deputy president and PKR Selangor chief, also had the capabilities to rule the country's richest state.
State party secretary Amirudin Shari and Selangor information chief Shuhaimi Shafei insisted Azmin should be named a candidate alongside Dr Wan Azizah, given his vast experience in the party.
PKR appears to be split between those who want the party president to replace Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim as menteri besar, and supporters of Azmin.
A press conference to announce the Selangor branch’s support of Dr Wan Azizah as the new menteri besar ended in chaos yesterday when a second press statement was distributed to the media endorsing Azmin instead.
However, Dr Wan Azizah’s remarks today were confirmed by PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli, who told reporters that PKR’s top leadership had officially chosen her as menteri besar candidate.
Earlier in the evening, Dr Wan Azizah told some 1,000 residents at the Kelab Belia Kampung Baru Ampang field that as menteri besar, she would focus on justice, Selangor’s cleanliness, and moving the state forward.
“We want to accelerate improvement. When I enter Kajang, I face traffic jams, rubbish, I notice the high crime rate. I go to hospitals and it is full of dengue cases.
“It’s not because I want to be the menteri besar, but if we want to save the situation, if we want to push Selangor forward and Malaysia in general, we must bring this change,” the PKR president said to cheers and applause from the crowd.
“We want at least the rubbish problems to be solved. We want Selangor to be clean, best and forward.”
She added that she was also taking up the position for the sake of her husband, party de facto chief Datuk Seri Dr Anwar Ibrahim, who was the original menteri besar replacement candidate.
“Don’t forget that the courts were used to convict Anwar. I am only here to ensure justice for all. Today, Anwar was treated this way, tomorrow, we don’t know who (will fall victim).”
Dr Wan Azizah was referring to Anwar’s sodomy conviction in March by the Court of Appeal, which effectively disqualified him from running for the Kajang state seat and replacing Khalid as menteri besar.
“When the Kajang Move happened, it was a way to make Anwar the menteri besar of Selangor. But when the Barisan Nasional used the courts to stop this, this was an injustice and I took up the responsibility to oppose the injustice and run for the Kajang seat,” she said.
Dr Wan Azizah also reminded the Chinese crowd that they were all Malaysians regardless of their race and religion, and urged them to set aside their differences help improve the economy.
“If I cut my hand, it will reveal the same red blood as yours. We are all Malaysians, all humans. So we cannot seize Bibles, intrude into temples, we cannot. We must stop telling each other to leave Malaysia,” she said, to loud cheers.
However, she refrained from saying anything about the man she wished to replace, despite her party’s claims that Khalid must be removed due to his alleged lack of integrity.
“I don’t want to say anything negative about anyone. Let us move forward, get better, and take our country to greater heights.”
Khalid today said he will respond to a letter summoning him to the PKR disciplinary hearing tonight and will disclose his reply tomorrow.
However, he refused to say whether he will show up for the disciplinary hearing.
The PKR disciplinary board has set Friday to hear Khalid's explanation for disobeying a party directive to resign as menteri besar.
The hearing is scheduled to take place at PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya.
According to the letter, Khalid is required to provide explanations on five issues related to his administration and his personal conduct.
Among them are; Selangor's water industry restructuring exercise, the 300% increase in business licence fee, MB's salary hike, the proposal to build the contentious Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) and his out-of-court settlement of a RM70-million Bank Islam loan.
Khalid has been under pressure from his party since last month to resign as menteri besar.
His party's proposal that he step down is in the process of being decided by PKR's allies in Pakatan Rakyat – DAP and PAS.
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