‘Witch hunt’ for former MB’s legacy
But to be fair, PKR is keeping a tight leash on Azmin’s reign; it is an open secret that his political mentor, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is devising ways to dictate and shadow every move made.
Syed Umar Ariff, NST
Mohamed Azmin Ali is as ruthless as most ambitious politicians tend to be. At least that is how he has been described by detractors, who mostly belong to Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s camp. They say the new Selangor menteri besar is not sparing quarters in paralysing the political legitimacy of Khalid, even as an elected representative.
In the latest move by Azmin’s administration, the services of two clerks in the Port Klang state assemblyman’s office were terminated with immediate effect on Wednesday.
The “witch hunt” for Khalid’s legacy is apparently taking place in the country’s richest state. His image is slowly but surely being relegated to that of a political pariah.
Despite the glowing praises reserved for Khalid during his initial years as menteri besar in 2008, the 67-year-old today has zero access to the RM600,000 annual allocation for each state assemblyman, apart from the abrupt closure of senior citizens’ scheme accounts in constituencies held by him, including the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary constituency.
His dignity as an elected representative is being stripped by the inches.
Enmity between the two camps worsened when Azmin justified the move to close the accounts, which was made upon the instruction of Selangor treasurer Azal Adzhar, following Khalid’s position as an independent assemblyman.
“It is not over yet for Azmin. His vengeance against Tan Sri (Khalid) has yet to be pacified,” said Khalid’s staunch loyalist and special officer, Faekah Husin.
The former Menteri Besar Inc chief executive sounded flustered during a telephone conversation.
She, too, had chosen to leave the prominent office after her boss tendered his resignation to the Sultan of Selangor.
People in Khalid’s camp are now on the defensive, preparing for another onslaught from the new administration.
But to be fair, PKR is keeping a tight leash on Azmin’s reign; it is an open secret that his political mentor, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is devising ways to dictate and shadow every move made.
An aide to Azmin claims that Anwar has been attempting to ride on the former’s back to a position of power in the state. It seems that the PKR de facto leader is bent against the idea of his own popularity turning limp at the rise of Azmin’s political career.
“Anwar has been in contact ever since the news of my boss’ ascension to office broke. He was quite persistent in telling us what should be done.
“Azmin is keeping his cool, although he is rather irked by the phone calls. He knows it will not bode well for his career if the people are disillusioned by his independence as a leader,” said the aide.
Anwar’s public call for Azmin to review the state’s water industry restructuring exercise agreement, for example, is an open instruction or, better still, a reminder for the new administration of the role of political masters.
The opposition leader’s apparent haste to assert authority in the Selangor administration is, again, the reason why Khalid tried his best to keep his image as clean as it had been promoted by the opposition alliance.
But Khalid’s defence faltered in the end. His chief rivalry with Azmin was prompted after he was parachuted to contest the state seat of Ijok in 2008. And to make it worse, Anwar had promised to make Azmin the Selangor menteri besar in the same year after Khalid was appointed to office.
But Azmin claimed that he had refused the offer since it would appear that the hunger for power in PKR was insatiable.
Retrospectively, the irony of such a story — concerning a tussle for leadership — is bursting at the seams whenever a particular party vice-president continues to regale the “success” of the engineered Kajang by-election.
However, the attacks against Khalid’s leadership did not abate even after he was, so to speak, disposed from the seat of power.
Furthermore, Anwar’s “instructions” for Azmin have, nonetheless, warranted actions to keep Khalid pinned to the ground.
A deplorable act? It does not seem to be so in the eyes of some politicians, in terms of consolidating power and influence.
The “witch hunt” for Khalid’s political legitimacy and legacy is, perhaps, crucial in eradicating opposing views and stunting a possible rise in the popularity of a fallen politician. It is a possibility that Anwar is all too familiar with.
As of now, the infamous Khalid-Azmin row has yet to meet an end.
