Can Khalid absorb the pressures to remain as MB?
Since the last general election, in which Pakatan Rakyat managed to retain Selangor with an impressive two-thirds majority despite Selangorians being made to endure the tune of “Sayangi Selangor” in train coaches every morning, Khalid’s future has remained unclear, according to many analysts.
Lokman Mustafa, The Ant Daily
A strong wind of discontent is blowing and it threatens to knock the Selangor chief executive off his perch.
No, I am not talking about the monsoon that brought with it heavy downfalls, submerging most parts of Kuantan and leaving thousands of people in the east coast capital deeply in distress.
Instead, I am equally alarmed by the dark clouds that hang over Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s future as the sole Menteri Besar from PKR at the helm of the richest state in Malaysia.
Since the last general election, in which Pakatan Rakyat managed to retain Selangor with an impressive two-thirds majority despite Selangorians being made to endure the tune of “Sayangi Selangor” in train coaches every morning, Khalid’s future has remained unclear, according to many analysts.
Since his appointment as menteri besar for a second term, Khalid has constantly been on the receiving end of criticisms, ironically from certain quarters within his own party who continue to undermine his ability to lead the state.
Perhaps average Malaysians are not yet well acquainted with the political manoeuvrings in PKR, but there seems more than a hint that Khalid’s time may be up soon.
The fiasco surrounding the state assemblymen’s pay hike seems to further lend credence to rumours regarding the impending fall from grace of one of the architects of the great Dawn Raid.
As the future looks uncertain for Khalid, perhaps it is not such a bad idea to go through the list of candidates who can, or are eager to fill his shoes, in the event the Selangor menteri besar’s post becomes vacant.
Obviously, the name that tops the list must be that of Azmin Ali.
The PKR deputy president and Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman has been Khalid’s enemy numero uno since the announcement of the latter’s re-appointment to the post last May.
Azmin is widely viewed as an influential warlord in PKR and that perhaps may not sit well with most Selangorians who heaved a sigh of relief over the departure of previous warlords from Umno.
At the same time, claims by Wanita PKR chief that Selangor is a PKR state may yet be proven wrong if both PAS and DAP, coalition parties in Pakatan, disagree with the appointment of another PKR assemblyman to head the most developed state in the country.
What makes Khalid well-liked by most Selangorians was the fact that he fit the anti-hero description when he was first named as menteri besar in 2008.
Though most people knew he was a shrewd corporate figure, his low-profile image seemed to bode well for residents of the state who were used to seeing high-profile “leaders” letting them down.
Five years later, his most vocal critics are again highlighting the fact that Khalid is “slow” in his actions and incapable of getting the votes from Malay-majority constituencies such as Kuala Selangor, Sabak Bernam, Sungai Besar, Hulu Selangor and Tanjung Karang.
