Khalid had agreed to be replaced as MB but suddenly changed his mind - WHY?

KUALA LUMPUR - Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim was asked to be Selangor economic adviser by PKR de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in a tit-for-tat exchange shortly before the “Kajang Move” was announced.

In an exclusive interview with The Rakyat Post today, PKR vice-president Tian Chua claimed that Abdul Khalid, at that time, had been very receptive of the decision to replace him as he had listened to Anwar’s request.

“This proposal came before the ‘Kajang Move’ itself as Anwar had discussed this matter with Abdul Khalid, which Abdul Khalid had understood and he agreed to relinquish his position as Selangor Menteri Besar.

“He (Abdul Khalid) realises he was put in the Menteri Besar’s seat by the party and that he was carrying the job by translating the party’s policy into the administration,” he said when met at his service centre here today.

However, Tian Chua, who is also Batu Member of Parliament, said given developments since then, he was unsure why Abdul Khalid now refused to quit the Menteri Besar’s post.

“I cannot speak on behalf of Abdul Khalid as I am not privy to the current developments.

“I only can tell that given his age and experience, he probably feels that his pride is at stake,” he said, commenting on Abdul Khalid’s insistence to serve through his second term.

Tian Chua also commended Abdul Khalid for a doing a great service to Selangor during his first term as Menteri Besar.

“The party made the right choice in 2008 to nominate him as Selangor Menteri Besar.

“He made sweeping changes and put things in order as Pakatan had just wrested the state from Barisan Nasional and had inherited a state government and civil servants who had adopted a culture of personal patronage.”

He added that under Abdul Khalid’s administration, the state had accumulated a larger sum in its reserves.

Tian Chua

However, he said that now, following the 2013 General Election, a change in state leadership was a must given that Pakatan’s push towards Putrajaya is but a few years away.

“Selangor, under Pakatan Rakyat, must play a leading role in that push by dealing with issues cohesively as a triumvirate Pakatan is meant to be.

“Abdul Khalid, who has been a good administrator, lacks the political skills which he often admits to, and deals with important issues with a technocratic approach,” he said referring to the recent Bible and Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) issues.

When asked on the suitability of PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to helm the Menteri Besar’s post, he said that Wan Azizah, despite her lack of experience in administrative skills, remained a good coordinator between the Pakatan Rakyat coalition partners.

“The nation has seen someone who is a novice, shy and reluctant, but still took the party’s top post on behalf of her husband and held the party and the coalition together for more than a decade in his absence.

“Her ascension to the Menteri Besar’s post will only ensure that the collective effort continues within the Pakatan members,” he said.

Commenting on the party’s decision to select Wan Azizah, Tian Chua also claimed that PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali had never personally requested for the post.

“Despite being vocal in criticising the Selangor government over several issues, that does not mean he wanted that position.”

He said that as Anwar and Azmin had been close friends for a long time, the latter would always support Anwar in conveying the party’s collective decision.

Tian Chua added that Abdul Khalid still had a role to play in the party and the state administration.

“I am sure that despite being replaced, the party as well as other leaders will welcome him to oversee the economic administration of the state and government-linked companies.

“He definitely has unfinished business in Selangor,” he added. -http://www.therakyatpost.com/