Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said he "could have" opted to install a menteri besar from PAS to end the recent MB crisis in the state, but he chose PKR's Azmin Ali for the "long term".

In an interview with The Star , Sharafuddin said he was "shocked" when PKR objected to Azmin's proposed appointment, saying that PKR was "very, very selfish".

"He is from the same party but they rejected (Azmin) because of self interest," the sultan is reported as saying.

He stressed that he was not against a woman MB, following the Selangor palace's refusal to accept the nomination of PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail ( right ) as the new MB.

 

"I am not against any woman becoming MB but my benchmark is that she must be like the Bank Negara governor," he said.

 

"They (the women) should be able to stand on their own without being under remote control," he added.

 

He also asked state leaders not be populist at the expense of the people adding that current MB and his team must "work harder" for the benefit of the people.

 

The ruler also said that extremism and hatred will not be tolerated in Selangor.

 

"In life, we must not cross the line. I have told the Islamic Religious Department to respect this line. For example, simply banning the Bible is wrong. And calls to burn the Bible is not right," he added.