Man for the job: Azmin (left) is said to be eyeing the Selangor top post since Pakatan did not capture Putrajaya. However, PAS thinks that Dr Abdul Rani (centre) and Iskandar are equally capable of helming the state.

PAS and DAP have endorsed Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim for the post of Selangor Mentri Besar but he is still waiting for the nod from his own party leadership.

IT has been a case of so near, yet so far for PKR deputy president Azmin Ali in Selangor.

The second-most powerful man in the PKR after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim may be out-manoeuvred again for the coveted post of Selangor Mentri Besar. He can already smell the leather chair in the MB’s office but he seems to have trouble stepping into the post.

PAS and the DAP, which won 15 seats each in Selangor are said to be backing Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim for the job. With a total of 30 seats between them, PAS and the DAP have been able to assert their preference of who they want for the top post.

The understanding is that the PKR which won 14 seats has a lesser claim to naming the man for the job.

However, PAS has also put forward two names for the post – Dr Abdul Rani Othman and Iskandar Abdul Samad. Dr Abdul Rani is the Selangor PAS commissioner who won in the Meru state seat whereas Iskandar is an engineer who won in Chempaka.

A number of PAS leaders in Selangor are of the view that the party should have a shot at the job to strengthen its Malay base in Selangor.

PAS supporters said that both Dr Abdul Rani and Iskandar are professionals and will be able to administrate the state. Iskandar was a state exco member whereas Dr Abdul Rani who replaced the controversial Datuk Dr Hasan Ali as the state PAS commissioner was chairman of the Selangor Micro Credit Scheme for the Rural Poor.

PAS members also want a deputy mentri besar post to be created for PAS so that Islamic issues in the state can be safeguarded. They also want the post of deputy speaker of the state legislative assembly to go to PAS.

Selangor PAS has also suggested that its deputy president Mohamed Sabu be made a senator under the state’s allocation of seats in the Dewan Negara. Mat Sabu lost in his bid for the parliamentary seat of Pendang in Kedah.

PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali said the party has no problems with Khalid.

“We have worked well with him in the last five years,” said Mustafa.

However, it is an open secret that Khalid is not PKR’s pick even though he is from the party. The irony is that Khalid is from the PKR but is not PKR’s nominee for the job.

Khalid’s administrative style of separating the party from the government did not go down well with people in the PKR who feel that the government should work more closely with the party if it wants to have support from the grassroots.

They complained that Khalid’s corporate style is not suitable for politics and that he runs the state like he is running a corporation.

Anwar prefers Azmin whom he trusts implicitly and who understands the nexus between politics and government.

Some suspect that Anwar’s persistence in questioning the general election results is not only because of his frustration about not becoming prime minister but also about putting pressure on his partners to appoint Azmin as mentri besar.

Sources said he owes it to Azmin after denying the younger man the post in 2008. Azmin’s supporters claimed that his name was in the lead to be the MB when Selangor fell in 2008. But in the early hours of March 9, Khalid’s name overtook Azmin’s and the older man was picked for the job.

Anwar had opted for Khalid then due to his corporate name and also because he thought Khalid would be easier to control than Azmin.

Azmin told reporters in the run-up to the general election that he is eyeing Putrajaya and not Selangor. But now that Putrajaya is lost, he is surely eyeing the Selangor post.

Azmin has kept a low profile since the general election but his silence should not be taken as agreement over the mentri besar post. There is intense politicking going on behind the scenes and both men have their supporters.

His TV celebrity brother Azwan tweeted yesterday: “My brother should be Selangor MB.”

Meanwhile, Khalid has been operating as if he is the chosen one. He went to work yesterday where he chaired a meeting on Selangor’s water restructuring and also to sign some letters.

Khalid’s political secretary Faekah Husin said that the PKR is now the minority party in Selangor because it has the least seats.

“Azmin can lobby the party but DAP and PAS will have the overall say in terms of numbers. They have assured Tan Sri Khalid he will continue,” she said.

Faekah indicated that the leadership of PAS and the DAP are preparing formal letters endorsing Khalid for mentri besar.

If all goes well, Khalid’s name will be submitted to the Palace by the end of the week.

But the awkward part is that he is still waiting for the nod from his own party leadership.

For more election stories, please visit The Star’s GE13 site

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