Lan Zhi Feng (translated name)

Oriental Daily, 21-09-2014

Up till September 21, Dr Wan Azizah who was the first woman parliamentary opposition leader in Malaysia may not be able to chart another record to become the first woman Menteri Besar in the country – unless there is a last minute change.

The signal from the Selangor palace is getting clearer by the day: other qualified PKR leader may be chosen as the new Menteri Besar to replace Khalid except Dr Wan Azizah.

There is no need for a second guess. We can all feel it and there is no way PKR cannot understand the signal from the Sultan who has repeated refused to grant an audience to Dr Wan Azizah.

The Palace has also made it clear that it would reject a “remote controlled“ Menteri Besar. The hidden message is it rejects a candidate with heavy Anwar “flavour”. It does not want Anwar operating from behind the scene, it wants to reduce Anwar’s involvement in the Selangor affair.

After the 2013 general election, Khalid took over the helm for the second term. He upset PKR leadership for weakening the links between the party and the Selangor state government. However, to those who did not want to see Anwar’s involvement in the state government, this was what they had wanted.

Now Azmin is the front runner. He is a PKR member, the No 2 leader with vast administrative experiences and strong grassroots network. If he receives the appointment letter, should he go for the swearing-in?

There is no simple answer to the question. How does he handle the new situation? How would PKR respond? What is DAP’s stand? And what is PAS’s stand (May be PAS will just follow the royal order.)

If Azmin refuses to accept the appointment, he would be seen as defying the royal order which will affect his relationship with the Palace and, thus, his political future in Selangor. Then again if he refuses, the MB post may be passed to PAS which will be a hundred times worse because the issue will involve not only PKR and DAP but also PAS which has been drifting away.

But if Azmin accepts the appointment, he would be going against the party stand. He would betray the letter pledging support for Dr Wan Azizah signed by 29 state assemblymen.

If Azmin insists on taking up the post, will he follow Khalid’s step and get sacked from the party? No one can say for sure whether Azmin will face a fresh round of pressure to step down.

Furthermore, if Azmin takes up the appointment, the focus will shift from PAS to PKR for a possible split. Two factions will emerged in PKR and the dividing line will be drawn among its 13 state assemblymen.

The 15 Dap state assemblymen will then hold the key and will the two PAS state assemblymen who supported Dr Wan Azizah turn around to give their support to Azmin? Can PKR and DAP garner enough public opinion and support to enable them to hold on to their own choice?

Can they stand firm and persuade the Palace to appoint Dr Wan Azizah who has the support of 30 state assemblymen in the principle of constitutional monarchy? I am somewhat reserved on this.

Will Anwar and PKR be able to forge a compromise to the satisfaction of, and be accepted by all quarters while reducing the damage to the minimum?

For example, can it accept and nominate another PKR candidate besides Dr Wan Azizah? Is it possible to set up a tripartite watchdog committee to strengthen Dr Wan Azizah’s official status and political role?

The tripartite committee can chart the overall direction on policy matter and leave the implementation to the state assembly. The committee can review and rectify any mistakes in policy matter. It can play a complementary role to the state government and build up the authority and prestige of Dr Wan Azizah who, as a party president, can only accept a YB’s post to attend the state assembly meeting four times a year now.

This may be a compromise and a module unprecedented but one cannot rule out its feasibility. There must be a new module to safeguard PKR’s political base in Selangor. If Anwar’s reputation is destroyed, how can he lead PKR and Pakatan in the future?

The “Kajang Move” is to enable Anwar to close in on Putrajaya. It is now getting remote and the situation is now beyond his control. Timely measures must be taken to prevent a derailment on the journey to Putrajaya. Otherwise, the damage would be tremendous.

Anwar must make a painful decision to change his stand. He should focus on the bigger goal and on the 14th general election. Otherwise, the MB’s post, the jewel of the crown, may be lost to others.

Original Source: 【群英会】阿兹敏的难题　公正党的大业