At the peak of the hype of the MB crisis, Selangor Umno chairperson Noh Omar, being the opportunist that he is, has so excitedly jumped on the bandwagon of condemning PKR, by claiming to have known of Khalid Ibrahim’s wrongdoings all along.

Ironically, just after his master subsequently issued commands for all of Umno’s assemblypersons to throw their unconditional support behind Khalid should a vote of no-confidence against the now Independent MB is called in the state legislative assembly, Noh deferentially obliged, of course.

Same goes to their MCA colleagues who are ready to on a press conference to censure PKR and Pakatan on Khalid’s wrongdoings on the very same day the commands were issued. They have no choice but to take on an opportunity to score political brownie points. Poor MCA somehow has to remain irrelevant, and to bow down to their political masters as always, and like their Umno counterparts, to speak and act against their conscience.

From both incidents, it is clear that BN knew very well of Khalid’s dirt all along and is ready to go on the offensive and strike should the time call for it, somehow they backtracked only when they realised that what’s better is in store for them, which is the opportunity to wrest the Selangor state administration from the now embattled Pakatan government, following the sacking of five executive councilors from DAP and PKR.  

Hence, if it is not clear enough, the explanation on how Umno changed overnight to become the number one proponent of Khalid, with Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin pledging support and the mainstream media giving the MB an unprecedented coverage not enjoyed by any Pakatan politicians before.

Does Umno’s endorsement of Khalid, for one, not send chills down your spine already?

It remains to be seen if Khalid will blatantly replace the sacked exco members with Umno assemblypersons in the days to come, but should that happens, DAP and PKR will lose hold of their now volatile share in the Selangor state administration, which, should that be the case, will be an outrageous disregard of the people’s mandate, and may even be another constitutional crisis in the making.

Even detractors of Khalid have to give it to him now for being the political beast that he is capable of becoming, when all else fails for him.

The extent that Khalid would go to in order to cling on to power is, in fact, undignified, with no regard to the fact that two-third of Selangorians voted for a Pakatan government in the past 13th general election.

It is no longer a matter about PKR’s internal turmoil here, but a betrayal to the voices of Selangorians who have spoken and all-out rejected Barisan Nasional rule. What seems to be the case now is that Selangor is on the brink of falling back to BN’s grasp, the party who stands to gain the most in this fiasco.

The destiny of the people of Selangor is being held to ransom.

Silence is deafening

PAS’s silence in the outbreak of such series of events over the past few days is at best deafening. So will PAS assemblypersons, for once, please speak up, defy and have your voices truly counted where and when it matters?

As for my fellow Selangorians, if you are all for accountable governance, then show that you have the same audacity when it is against a politician from the very party you support. If Umno’s corruption is detestable, then show that you will not tolerate any hocus-pocus even when it comes to the politician that you have voted into office.

If Khalid Ibrahim is betraying the hopes and aspirations of the people by having his integrity compromised, then it is time, too, for him to go.

When you take to the streets with Bersih, it is a war-cry against corruption as a whole. When you ride on the wave of change it is not mere romanticism against Umno but the reality extends far beyond that. If you are truly in the spirit of change then have the audacity to show that the same applies no matter which side of the political divide you are aligned with.

If a party is not allowed to right its wrong and you are blissfully tolerating the status quo, do not cling to the benefit of hindsight another three or four years down the road when Selangor is lost and wished that the party has done otherwise. Because change has never been convenient, because change requires the courage to own up to your mistake and quickly take actions to rectify it.

It is about time we stop punishing PKR for owning up to its mistakes and stand in solidarity with one common enemy again, for one vote for Khalid is now one vote for Umno to reclaim Selangor.

Let us not allow the painful lessons of history to repeat itself.