SHAH ALAM: PKR might have new executive councillors in the Selangor government while DAP is likely to retain its three executive councillors (exco) members as Menteri Besar (MB) Mohamed Azmin Ali hunkered down yesterday to put the finishing touches to his new administration.

Sources said PKR’s central leadership had proposed four additional names for Azmin’s consideration, besides the three exco members who had served under the previous MB, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim. The four new names proposed are Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Suhaimi Shafiei (Sri Muda), Yaakob Sapari (Kota Anggerik) and Amirudin Shari (Batu Caves).

The sources said opposition leader and party de facto chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is keen on Nik Nazmi, who is the PKR Youth chief, to be appointed to the exco.

Nik Nazmi is also the Selangor deputy speaker and he will not be able to hold that position if he becomes an exco member due to a conflict of interest and the doctrine of the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches of government. If he does become an exco member, Pakatan Rakyat parties would then have to decide on a candidate to be the new deputy speaker and nominate the person for a vote by the assembly when it convenes. The three PKR exco members under Abdul Khalid’s administration were Elizabeth Wong, Dr Daroyah Alwi and Rodziah Ismail.

Pakatan sources who didn’t want to be named because the matter was still being finalised, also said that while Mohamed Azmin may retain Wong, he might drop Daroyah and Rodziah, who are perceived to be Abdul Khalid’s supporters. Suhaimi and Amirudin, on the other hand, are said to be Azmin’s supporters.

A Selangor DAP leader said there was no justification to make changes to its exco members representing the party in the state government as its three excos had done their jobs well. Selangor DAP chief Tony Pua when contacted would only say that the list “is being finalised”.

DAP’s three exco members in Abdul Khalid’s administration were Datuk Teng Chang Kim, Ean Yong Hian Wah and V Ganabatirau, until he sacked them and the three PKR exco members after he was booted out from PKR for defying party orders to step down to make way for PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Mohamed Azmin, who was sworn in as Selangor’s 15th menteri besar on Tuesday, said yesterday that the new line-up of state exco was nearly confirmed following a discussion with Pakatan component parties on Tuesday. A second meeting was scheduled for yesterday evening to rubber-stamp the candidates before the list is handed to the Sultan of Selangor today.

“We will complete this process by tomorrow (today) before presenting the list to Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah for the swearing-in ceremony on Friday,” Mohamed Azmin said.

PAS, too, will propose the name of the same four exco members who had previously served under Abdul Khalid, and is confident that they will be retained.

The four are Iskandar Abdul Samad, Sallehin Mukhyi, Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi and Dr Halimah Ali. — The Malaysian Insider


This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on September 25, 2014.