Two different versions have emerged on whether Pakatan Rakyat submitted one or more names to the palace for the post of Selangor menteri besar after the 2008 and 2013 general elections.

Outgoing menteri besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim claimed that more than one name was submitted while PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, stated otherwise.

                

This afternoon, Khalid dismissed the argument that PKR and DAP would only submit one name to be his successor, on the grounds of convention, as flawed.

"This story (on one candidate) was not properly reported.

"There were also instances where PKR and PAS submitted different applications in 2008 and 2013," Khalid said, but he declined to divulge the names of the other candidates.

Three separate letters endorsing Khalid only

However, Anwar later claimed that Pakatan sent three separate letters, one from each component party, all of which bore a single name - Khalid's.

"We did not submit other names to the palace. I don’t know what Khalid was referring to, probably other letters or names," he told reporters at the Jalan Duta court complex.

In 2008, Anwar said, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang wanted former Selangor PAS commissioner Hasan Ali to be made menteri besar, but it was later decided that only Khalid would be nominated.

Wan Azizah, who was also present, reiterated that PKR signed only Khalid’s name in her capacity as PKR president.

"I believe the other letters were sent separately by Hadi and DAP's (former chairperson) Karpal Singh. But each had only one name, which is Khalid's," she added.

Yesterday, the Sultan of Selangor asked the Pakatan parties to submit two or more names but PKR and DAP insisted on Wan Azizah's name only, citing convention.

According to the two parties, the Selangor palace last year requested for more than one name but they only nominated Khalid and the sultan consented.

During his press conference, Khalid also revealed that the palace had sent letters to all three Pakatan parties to submit the names of candidates before a certain deadline.

However, he declined to speculate on who would be nominated to replace him.

 

"I understand that the letter was sent today and I hope the palace does not send a copy to me… because I don’t want to get any information (on this)," he said.

Selangor crisis today

9.47am: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak accuses PKR of ' open nepotism ' for nominating Dr Wan Azizah Ismail as MB.

12.59pm: PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali says the party will not nominate its own candidates, but will submit at least two names from PKR.

1pm: PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim says Wan Azizah chosen not because she is his wife but because she is PKR president.

1.33pm: Legal expert Abdul Aziz Bari says that sultan has no power to ask for more than one MB candidate.

2.45pm: MB Khalid Ibrahim denies PKR's and DAP's assertion that they had only nominated him in 2013, although the palace asked for four names.

4pm: With rife speculation of Pakatan break up, PAS MP Khalid Samad says those in PAS who don’t believe in Pakatan can leave the party.

4.35pm: Anwar refutes Khalid’s claim that more than one name was submitted in 2013.

5.45pm: DAP reveals that in 2013, it was Khalid's office who drafted the letter to the palace for Pakatan parties, who nominated only him.

6.17pm: The palace sends letters to Pakatan parties, telling them to submit more than two names each by Sep 3 .