New Selangor MB Gives Assurance On Good Administration

KLANG, Sept 23 (Bernama) -- New Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali on Tuesday gave the assurance that the state government administration he heads would continue to drive sustainable economic growth and distribute wealth fairly to the people.

The administration would implement a concept of development of the state based on good stewardship, transparency and accountability, he told a press conference at the Istana Alam Shah here.

He pledged to discharge his duties with full responsibility, honesty and integrity to maintain Selangor as a developed, harmonious and united state.

Mohamed Azmin, 50, took his oath of office as the 15th menteri besar of Selangor before the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, at the palace.

The PKR deputy president took over from Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim who had held the post for more than six years from 2008.

Asked whether he would carry on implementing the programmes planned by his predecessor, Mohamed Azmin said it was his responsibility to do so.

He explained that Abdul Khalid had laid a good foundation in the administration of the state and he would ensure that the new governance was implemented in a responsible and clean manner in the interests of the people.

"It becomes my responsibility to continue the people-friendly policies that emphasise fair distribution and a clean administration in the interests of the people," he said.

Mohamed Azmin said he would start work tomorrow at the State Secretariat in Shah Alam.

Later, at a thanksgiving reception at his mother's house in Kuala Lumpur, he said the new administration should focus and move forward.

"The (menteri besar) crisis has been going on for far too long. I feel we have the responsibility to end the crisis immediately and get to work as usual," he said.

Stating that he held no malice against anyone in Selangor, he said: "What's important here is that the rakyat (people) of Selangor will benefit from the development. We want to ensure all the agreements signed must be transparent and implemented."

Meanwhile, Umno Information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan said there was nothing significant in the appointment of Mohamed Azmin as the new menteri besar for the administration would be riding on the success achieved by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government over 15 terms.

Ahmad, who is deputy finance minister, said the BN government had contributed 95 per cent of the development that the state had undergone.

He said the long-drawn 'political drama' in Selangor reflected the discord among the political parties of Pakatan Rakyat that he said began with the so-called 'Kajang Move' to have PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim appointed as the menteri besar.

"Nothing was gained out of the Kajang Move," he said, adding that there was only a waste of time and energy, flight of investors, unmanaged water resources and disorganised waste disposal, among others.