KUALA LUMPUR: The Sultan of Selangor is disappointed with PKR and DAP after both parties did not heed the ruler’s request to submit more than two names for the menteri besar position, according to a statement by the Selangor palace.

“The Selangor Sultan is extremely disappointed by the actions of DAP and Keadilan in disobeying the decree he made on Aug  27, 2014.

“DAP and Keadilan’s actions reflect their insolence towards the royal institution and is treason towards the Selangor Sultan,” said the statement issued yesterday by the Sultan’s private secretary, Datuk Munir Bani.

It said Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had decreed each party within Pakatan Rakyat to submit more than two names, saying it was the palace’s convention on the matter.

Only PAS submitted three names, while PKR and DAP had nominated Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as their sole MB candidate to replace Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

According to the statement, the request for more than two names was a convention practised by the Selangor Sultan.

“This is to allow him to decide on the future Selangor menteri besar by looking not only at the majority support of the state legislative assembly, but also in terms of the skills, experience, integrity and capabilities of the state assemblyman.”

Last week, PKR and DAP submitted Dr Wan Azizah’s name to the palace on the grounds that she alone had the support of 30 of the 56 Selangor assembly members.

They had also claimed that the sultan last year accepted Abdul Khalid as the coalition’s sole nominee for the position, despite the sultan’s request for four names at that time.

However, on Sept 3, the Selangor palace issued a reprimand to PKR for submitting only one name, prompting the party to announce it would take “necessary and appropriate steps” in the next 48 hours.

But, PKR said on Sunday it would present an official response to the palace only after its de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, returned from overseas, according to Malaysiakini.

The news portal quoted PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution as saying the party did not have any particular deadline, but would discuss it next week.

Meanwhile, PAS had submitted three names, two from PKR and one from its own ranks, in a move that had strained ties between the allies.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said at a special briefing for PAS last Friday that Dr Wan Azizah was not qualified to be MB as she did not have the ability to debate questions in Parliament or the state assembly. — The Malaysian Insider


This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on September 9, 2014.