Summary

  • Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari dismisses speculation of him stepping down and instead asks Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz to pray for him to remain in his position.

  • Rumours of a cabinet reshuffle and Zafrul potentially replacing Amirudin as menteri besar emerged after the investment, trade and industry minister resigned from Umno and expressed interest in joining PKR.

  • Amirudin says that any decisions about joining the cabinet or changes to his role will be discussed in due course

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari has dismissed speculation that he will step down from the post to make way for Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who is rumoured to replace him.

Instead, the Sungai Tua assemblyperson said he had asked Zafrul, who recently announced his departure from Umno, to pray for him to remain as Selangor menteri besar.

“This speculation (about stepping down as Selangor MB) has been around for the past five years. Alhamdulillah, I’m still here.

“Even yesterday, I had the chance to visit Zafrul before he departed for Mecca. He asked me what prayer I wanted him to offer on my behalf, and I told him to pray that I remain in Selangor,” the PKR vice-president told reporters in Selayang today.

Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz

Earlier, the PKR vice-president was asked about speculation that he may relinquish the post he has held since 2018.

Fresh rumours surrounding an impending cabinet reshuffle arose after the conclusion of the recent PKR polls that saw the resignations of two PKR ministers - Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad - followed by Zafrul’s resignation from Umno, with a reported intention to join PKR.

In a Facebook post, Zafrul said the decision came after careful consideration and consultations with various parties, including Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

‘We’ll cross that bridge when we get there’

Following this development, speculation emerged that Zafrul could be appointed as the new menteri besar, while Amirudin, who is also the Gombak MP, may be elevated to a federal government position.

However, when asked if he was prepared to join the cabinet, Amirudin said such matters would only be decided in due course.

“We’ll see how things develop. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

“Meaning, we’ll discuss it when the time comes. For now, we just carry on with our duties as usual.

“There have been no discussions or instructions so far, and there are various processes to go through,” he said.

Other names speculated to be appointed as minister include former Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin, who has similarly downplayed the possibility, stating he’s currently busy with various other personal projects.

Khairy Jamaluddin

Meanwhile, Amirudin also said he did not expect a by-election to be held in Selangor during the final two years of the current state administration.

“I don’t think we’ll be holding any by-elections in the last two years just to get a new mandate or to change the MB, and so on.

“There are many other things to consider. Our focus now is the Sabah state election and strengthening the unity government team,” he said.

Umno frowns on party-hopping among allies

Last December, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim confirmed there had been discussions within PKR regarding Zafrul’s desire to join the party.

However, Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki at the time said the party would not condone party-hopping among members of the unity government.

On Feb 10, Zafrul said he would consult Zahid before making any decision, and was advised not to rush into joining PKR.

Although he later reiterated his commitment to Umno, Zafrul maintained that his priority at the time was his role as a federal minister.