GE13 WATCH Although PAS' Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin is Perak Pakatan Rakyat's best-known personality, his chances of being nominated as the coalition's candidate for the menteri besar's post again are uncertain.

Pakatan Rakyat insiders told Malaysiakini that Nizar's previous thorny relationship with the Perak royals and Umno's attempt to paint him as a "DAP stooge" has hurt his image among Malay voters, although he remains popular with non-Malays.

NONE Recently, Nizar ( right ) was embroiled in yet another controversy involving a Malay ruler - Johor Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar - by questioning the acquisition of the RM520,000 WWW1 car licence plate.

A Perak PAS leader, who spoke to Malaysiakini on condition of anonymity, said party leaders had taken pains to defuse many issues involving Nizar during their ceramah rounds throughout the country.

However, PAS' main grouse with Nizar was his habit of not consulting the party about certain important administrative matters when he was Perak menteri besar.

"His 11-month stint as menteri besar was excellent... But he made some important policies and announcements which made it difficult for party leaders to explain," said the source.

He said that Nizar's announcement that residents of traditional Malay villages and Chinese new villages would receive a freehold land title was made together with state cabinet members from DAP without referring to the party.

"The land policy was not included in the DAP manifesto, but they were part of the PAS manifesto. He should refer these kinds of thing to the party before decisions were made," said the source.

Some think he has done well

He said that Nizar also lacked coordination with other PAS leaders when taking certain issues to the media. When he gets into trouble for it, it was difficult for other PAS leaders to respond.

When contacted, Nizar conceded that some of his decisions and announcements were made without consulting his party, but added that he had followed PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Nik Aziz's lead as the Kelantan menteri besar.

"Sometimes I have to make quick decision, if I go back to the party (for discussion), it will take some time. But if there are similar things being done in Kelantan, I'd just go ahead," he said.

Another Perak PAS official, who also requested anonymity, pointed out that PAS leaders are not all critical of Nizar and that he had generally done a good job as the chief executive of the state.

For example, the PAS leader said Nizar was well-accepted by Perakians, and noted that his administration had recorded the highest level of foreign direct investment ever.

"It's not fair to say that Nizar is problematic. Overall, he did a good job," he said, adding that given a full five-year term, party leaders would have a different impression of him.

najib pc on bn takeover of perak state with 4 aduns 050209 03 Nizar served as menteri besar for 11 months before three Pakatan state assemblypersons quit their respective parties and backed BN, forcing a change of government.

He said that complaints are stemming from Nizar's lack of opportunity to truly prove himself.

Nizar, he believed, was still among candidates the party would nominate for menteri besar, if Pakatan wins again. However, the party is prepared to nominate someone else if Nizar is rejected by the sultan.

Several options

Noting the popularity of Nizar, a PAS central committee member said that Nizar is "among the front-runners" for the Perak MB-ship, but it also depends on Pakatan's election results in Perak.

Besides Nizar, Perak PAS election director Asmuni Awi and Perak Pakatan secretary Dr Khairudin Abdul Malek are the other two capable candidates for the MB-ship. Both of them are slated to contest in seats where BN won with slim majorities in 2008.

NONE Asmuni ( left ), a lawyer, is expected to contest in the Manjoi state seat, which PAS lost by only 348 votes in the last contest.

Meanwhile, Khairudin, a doctor who runs a private clinic in Ipoh, is expected to contest Pengkalan Baru which was won by BN with a mere 14-vote majority.

There are many other "marginal seats" - seats which BN won with slim majorities - that PAS will be eyeing.

Thus, it will not be a surprise for the party to win more state seats than PKR this time round, which requires PAS to have candidates for the menteri besar's post in mind.

In the 2008 general election, DAP, PKR and PAS secured 31 out of 59 state assembly seats, with DAP bagging 18 seats, followed by PKR (seven) and PAS (six).

Perak's laws did not allow a non-Malay to be the menteri besar, and the Perak sultan eventually picked Nizar from PAS as MB despite the party having won the lowest number of seats in the coalition.

DAP wants Nizar

For DAP, Nizar is the party's "one and only" recommendation as Perak Pakatan's menteri besar candidate, a fact that Perak DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham had reiterated many times.

The party believed that Nizar is still popular among non-Malay voters, who form the party's main support base.

However, Perak PKR vice-chairperson Chang Lih Kang and Asmuni said that Perak Pakatan has not discussed its nominee for the menteri besar position and that the matter would only be raised should the coalition win in the coming election.

nizar jamaluddin ngeh koo ham ngar kor ming parliament bubar dun bag 170609 "We welcome the statement by Ngeh ( far left ), but PAS's central committee will have the final say over which party member will join the state cabinet," Asmuni told Malaysiakini .

When contacted, Ngeh did not offer a direct rebuttal, but stressed that DAP supports Nizar in principle to lead a Pakatan state government.

Ngeh, who was a senior state cabinet member under Nizar's administration, said the latter proved himself as a capable MB during his tenure.

Asked about the possibility of PAS appointing a more senior party member as its candidate for the position, Ngeh replied: "It's not a matter of seniority, but a matter of suitability."