The Malaysian Insight

ANY dispute over Sungai Tua assemblyman Amirudin Shari’s appointment as Selangor menteri besar will be handled by the state Pakatan Harapan leadership.

Amirudin said the state Pakatan leadership would explain the claims by Ijok assemblyman Dr Idris Ahmad that the new menteri besar did not have the approval of all four Pakatan parties.

“I think we should just let the Pakatan leadership explain the matter and I will leave it to them to do so,” Amirudin said at a press conference today after his swearing in ceremony. 

He said as far as he knew, Selangor Pakatan leaders had “moved on” from the issue and were more concerned that the state be administered smoothly.

“I am confident that since our (Pakatan’s) style of leadership takes into account the views of all parties, we will be able to move forward.

“That is why I have stressed that the time has come for us to join forces together to help Selangor progress,” he said at the press conference in Shah Alam.

Idris at a separate press conference today said he had been Pakatan Selangor’s sole choice for menteri besar as proposed by party coalition president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in a letter to the Selangor Sultan.

Idris said Dr Wan Azizah’s letter bore her signature as PKR president, and the signatures of Selangor Bersatu chief Abdul Rashid Asari, Selangor Amanah chief Izham Hashim and Selangor DAP chief Tony Pua.

Azmin Ali, the PKR Selangor chief and also state Pakatan chairman, did not sign the letter.

The 38-year-old Amiruddin is replacing Azmin who has moved to the federal cabinet as economic affairs minister. It is known that both men have been close since PKR’s founding days in 1998.

The Malaysian Insight earlier reported that after Idris’ name was proposed, the Selangor sultan asked for three more names from PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu. Amirudin’s name was then included.

Selangor exco Rodziah Ismail who was also sworn in today, told reporters she agreed with Amirudin that all parties should work together to develop Selangor.

“What has happened is in the past. I myself don’t know exactly what happened and we should just forget the past,” she said.

Another exco member, V. Ganabatirau, said the appointment of the Selangor MB was PKR’s prerogative.

“Personally, I have full respect for Amirudin when he was an exco and we worked well under Azmin. Amiruddin’s challenge now is to lead the whole team to develop the state,” Ganabatirau said. – June 19, 2018.