SELANGOR is slowly but surely slipping out of Pakatan hands following Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s decision to sack six PKR and DAP state executive council members yesterday.
His decision was made after the DAP and PKR leadership made it clear that they had relegated Khalid to interim menteri besar, pending appointment of his successor.
The two parties, in a joint statement by their six excos, also “instructed” that all decisions in the state council meeting must come to a vote and that they would only deal with Khalid during weekly exco meetings.
Hours after the statement was issued, Khalid struck back and delivered a blow to any dream that the DAP and PKR leadership had of sidelining his rule.
Khalid, who had made it clear on Monday that exco members who could not work with him should resign their posts, issued the termination letters late yesterday evening.
All six exco members were informed that they had been sacked with immediate effect.
Khalid’s press secretary, Arfaeza Aziz, confirmed that the termination letters were delivered to the offices
of the three DAP and three PKR excos.
They are DAP’s Datuk Teng Chang Khim, Ean Yong Hian Wah and V. Ganabatirau and PKR’s Elizabeth Wong Keat Ping, Dr Daroyah Alwi and Rodziah Ismail.
Ean Yong, when contacted, confirmed he had received the letter.
The Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah consented to the sacking of the six, a palace source confirmed yesterday.
With Pas now clearly backing him instead of toeing the Pakatan line of dislodging the menteri besar, Khalid’s preemptive move yesterday could well spell the collapse of the Selangor Pakatan government.
The Selangor state legislative assembly now comprises 13 PKR, 15 DAP, 15 Pas, 12 Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen and one independent, Khalid, with no single party having the majority to rule the state outright.
BN had publicly thrown its support behind Khalid.
Caught flatfooted by Khalid’s move, PKR and DAP leaders were forced to hold an emergency meeting last night.
Later, in a press conference led by opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said they were shocked by the sacking of the six exco members.
Present were Lim’s father, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali.
“DAP feels the sacking is unethical and undemocratic. Khalid was appointed as MB not because he is Khalid, but because he was a representative of Pakatan.”
He called on the four Pas exco members not to attend the council meeting today.
“I have contacted Pas secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali to relay this message to the Pas leadership to show solidarity with the six
excos who were sacked.”
Lim, however, did not say whether he had received any feedback from Mustafa, nor was he willing to comment on Pas’ position following the party’s public support for Khalid.
Pas leaders will meet on Sunday to discuss and decide their official stance.
After the press conference, Teng, along with the other sacked exco members, fielded questions from journalists, starting by condemning Khalid’s decision to sack them.
Teng said all six excos rejected the sacking, as they were appointed by the sultan, with the advice from the menteri besar.
“We will continue to perform our duties. There is no legitimacy to sack us as the letter is defective.”
PKR’s Elizabeth Wong repeated Lim’s call for Pas exco members to not attend the state executive council meeting today.