As crisis deepens, could Azmin enter the fray?

Ram AnandPublished: Aug 11, 2014 5:33 PM | Updated: Aug 11, 2014 10:10 PM

As the crisis deepens over the Selangor menteri besar position, the chances of PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, who has long eyed the post, might still be alive despite his party nominating Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as their new MB candidate.

Azmin, who has had been one of the earliest critics of Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s administration, could still have PAS’ backing to become the new MB.

This is following revelations that PAS is ready to withdraw its support for Khalid to stay on as MB - but while requesting for PKR to submit a different name as MB candidate.

The next most senior leader in PKR after Wan Azizah ( right ) would be Azmin, who is the Selangor PKR chief, since its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim does not have a seat in the Selangor state assembly.

Malaysiakini understands that in a meeting yesterday morning among top PAS leaders, the party has come to a basic agreement to stay in Pakatan Rakyat and withdraw support for Khalid following his sacking from PKR.

Those are among the four decisions that PAS leaders came to during the meeting.

But PAS leaders want PKR to nominate a different name from that party to fill the MB post, and not Wan Azizah, the party president.

This decision however does not take into account today’s development, where the Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had consented for Abdul Khalid to continue as MB.

Any decision from PAS will not be made official before its Aug 17 meeting to finalise the matter.

This compromise proposal could put pressure on PKR to submit another name for the component parties’ consideration.

If PAS can throw their weight behind Azmin, the Gombak MP and Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyperson can emerge as a strong candidate for the MB post.

Malaysiakini also understands that several top PAS leaders, including senior Youth leaders, had been holding private meetings with Azmin over the past weeks.

It is not clear what transpired during those meetings, but amongst those who have met Azmin, a senior PAS leader is believed to have told Azmin that he was not keen on Wan Azizah becoming MB.

Whether this was a communication of the party's stand on the MB crisis remains uncertain at this point.

Bargaining power

This is because Azmin is known to wield good grassroots support within PKR, and if PAS does back him, it would leave Azmin with DAP and some factions within PKR to convince in order to become MB.

PAS' bargaining power puts Azmin in with a chance of becoming MB, after previously failing to do so in 2008 and 2013 respectively.

Failure to convince PAS in 2008 caused Azmin to be overlooked for the MB post in favour of Khalid.

Azmin and Khalid were regarded as political rivals leading to the 13th general election, and despite a protracted period that involved negotiations with all Pakatan components, Khalid was again re-appointed as MB mid-last year.

Y esterday, Azmin broke his long silence on the move to install Wan Azizah as MB by merely asking: "Who said I don't support Wan Azizah?"

However, he still did not elaborate on whether he was throwing his weight behind the PKR president as the MB candidate.

The PAS central committee will meet on Sunday to formally decide on its stand regarding the MB issue, and if they withdraw support for Khalid, the latter might not be able to stay on as MB for much longer despite the sultan's consent earlier today.