PAS wants MB post if Khalid resigns

Selangor PAS will propose its own candidate for Mentri Besar should the post becomes vacant, a move that would scuttle plans for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to assume the state's top job.

Secretary Khairuddin Othman said a candidate who is qualified and suitable for the job would be proposed to the party’s central committee.

“This includes Selangor PAS Commissioner (Iskandar Abdul Samad). It will be up to the central PAS to decide on it," he said in a statement.

He said PAS had the right to name of a candidate for mentri besar as they have the most seats in the state assembly.

After the 13th general election in May last year, PAS and DAP secured 15 seats each. PKR now has 13 seats following the resignation of Kajang assemblyman Lee Chin Cheh on Monday.
The Selangor Constitution states that the Mentri Besar has to be a Malay Muslim and receive the consent of the Sultan.

When contacted by The Star Online, Khairuddin said the party did not have any issues with current Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

Anwar told a press conference earlier that he will be PKR's candidate for the Kajang by-election, leading to speculation of him taking over the Mentri Besar’s post later.

For now though, Khairuddin said they would assume that the by-election has nothing to do with the move to ouster Khalid.

“We are following the political situation in Selangor very carefully. We assume that the resignation of the Kajang seat is an internal PKR issue and has nothing to do with the position of the Mentri Besar,” he said.

He said that PKR had every right to vacate the seat and Selangor PAS would not interfere.
“As long as the issue of Selangor Mentri Besar doesn’t come up, we will just be observers,” he said.
He hoped that PAS members would be calm and wait for instructions from the party’s state committee.

“Whatever the decision in Pakatan Rakyat we are confident that it will result in a stable Selangor government ruled by Pakatan leaders,” he said.