KUALA LUMPUR: Almost two months after Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim stepped down as Selangor menteri besar, the constituents in his Port Klang state seat and Bandar Tun Razak federal seat are wondering if the partyless leader is still their representative.
They told The Malaysian Insider that since Abdul Khalid’s sacking from PKR on Aug 9, he has rarely been seen in Port Klang, where he is assemblyman, as well as in Bandar Tun Razak, where he is Member of Parliament. He holds both posts as an independent.
They said some do not even know where his service centres are and whether he would still be able to serve and attend to their complaints.
“We do not know where to go, especially now. I don’t even know where his office is,” said businessman Ibrahim Yaacob, 44, from Port Klang. “Because of this, I deal directly with the State Secretary’s Office in Shah Alam.”
Food vendor Siti Sahrina Salehuddin, 39, said the last time she spotted Abdul Khalid in Port Klang was at a Ramadan breaking fast in July.
“After the Selangor menteri besar saga, Abdul Khalid simply went silent. We don’t even know where his office is now,” she said.
Confusion among residents over whether Abdul Khalid still commands the support of voters in both constituencies was evident after his sacking. More so when there was talk that PKR was pressuring him to give up his posts in both constituencies.
The importance of both areas is clear as Bandar Tun Razak is a large parliamentary constituency in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, strategically located between Petaling Jaya and Cheras, while Port Klang is the main gateway by sea to Malaysia.
Abdul Khalid won the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat by 2,515 votes and Port Klang with a 2,994-vote majority in the last general election.
PKR sacked him in August after he failed to show up to explain to the disciplinary committee allegations concerning the Selangor water restructuring exercise, his debt settlement with Bank Islam and the proposed Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex).
This came amid a tussle for the Selangor menteri’s besar position that started early this year, with the PKR leadership wanting him to step down to make way for PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. The crisis ended when PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali was appointed the new menteri besar.
Abdul Khalid’s special officer Faekah Husin, who recently made headlines claiming PKR was putting pressure on Abdul Khalid to resign from both his posts, brushed off rumours he wants to resign as assemblyman and MP.
She said Abdul Khalid is currently working on programmes to help residents in both areas.
“He was on a break and is now starting to get back to his duties as the representative of the people. He has opened a service centre in Bandar Tun Razak, while a new office will be opened in Bukit Tinggi for Port Klang,” Faekah said.
She said Abdul Khalid plans to launch a non-governmental organisation and will start meeting the local community soon. — The Malaysian Insider
This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on November 10, 2014.