DAP will only have a chance to meet Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali early next week to discuss the situation of the state government coalition in the state.

 

State DAP chief Tony Pua told Malaysiakini today that the Azmin will meet them early next week with arrangements for this being made from last week.

“All I know is that we might meet him (Azmin) next week,” said Pua while adding that he could not divulge details of the party’s plan with the media before presenting it to Azmin ( photo ).

 

Malaysiakini understands that while both PKR's and DAP's stand on the  state coalition government are clear - to preserve the status quo - there were some 'suggestions' that needed to be considered after Pakatan Rakyat’s so- called demise last week.

 

These 'suggestions' have also been discussed by both PKR and DAP at their informal meetings before this.

 

Pua on Jun 20 had denied that DAP wanted to quit the Selangor government and said a call for the state assembly's dissolution was the ‘furthest’ thing from theirs minds.

 

Nevertheless, according to a DAP state leader who declines to be named, one of the suggestions was to reduce the role of PAS in the Selangor government.

 

“There is a suggestion to ask for this but I do not know if it is included in the final draft to the menteri besar,” he said.

 

The source also said that the DAP delegation team have to wait until Azmin met the sultan regarding the issue.

 

Menteri besar choice

Sin Chew had reported last week that DAP may quit the Selangor government if Menteri Besar Azmin Ali refused to expel PAS exco members.

 

Pua ( photo ) today described the report as 'inaccurate' and 'confusing' though there was no outright denial over it.

 

Azmin earlier today admitted meeting Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah yesterday with regards to the Pakatan Rakyat internal crisis.

 

Azmin, who said that Pakatan Rakyat still exists, told the media in a statement that the Sultan wanted the state government to be stable.

 

“I guaranteed that the Selangor state government will posses that stability and unity for it to be focus on the efforts to fulfil the people’s aspiration by economic development and social justice,” he said.

 

One interpretation of this is that the sultan might want a menteri besar who has the backing of the majority of the state assemblypersons, regardless of party.

 

However, if the last menteri besar crisis is any guide, the Selangor palace may want a menteri besar approved by a majority of the Malay Muslims in the state, something of a problem if PAS is left out of the coalition.

Currently DAP and PAS hold 15 state assembly seats each while PKR has 13 in the 56-seat legislative assembly.

Umno has 12 seats while Azmin's predecessor, Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, who was sacked from PKR last year, is the only independent assemblyperson.