By TEH ENG HOCK
enghock@thestar.com.my
SHAH ALAM: Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is expected to be sworn in as the Selangor Mentri Besar tomorrow, putting an end to the week-long speculation within Pakatan Rakyat on who would hold the post.
A source close to the Mentri Besar's Office said Khalid would begin his second term as mentri besar after taking his oath before Sultan of Selangor Sultan Shara-fuddin Idris Shah.
According to the source Khalid is scheduled to have an audience with the Sultan today, during which the Tuanku is expected to advise him on several issues.
State Speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim said he has not received the invitation to the swearing-in ceremony, but said it was possible for the invitation to arrive today.
“The earliest is Tuesday. One day's notice is enough,” he said, adding that by convention, the Selangor Royal Council, all assemblymen and the state Speaker would be invited to witness the event.
Khalid took his first oath of office on March 13, 2008, four days after the 12th general election while members of the state exco were sworn on March 23, ten days later.
In the May 5 polls, Pakatan won 44 out of 56 seats, an increase from the 36 seats gained in 2008.
However, immediately after the victory, there was no certainty that the mentri besar position would be retained by PKR as the party held the least seats among its Pakatan partners. It won 14 seats against the 15 each held by DAP and PAS.
Over the past few days, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, PASpresident Datuk Seri Hadi Awang and secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali had made public their stand to back Khalid to be retained as mentri besar.
Meanwhile, political analysts say whoever chosen by Pakatan should put aside political differences and work closely with the Federal Government to resolve issues affecting people in Selangor.
“I think the time has come for the next MB to work closely with the Federal Government to resolve long-standing issues besetting the residents in Selangor, especially the water issue.
“The state government should cooperate with the Federal Government, irrespective of their political differences, and ensure all decisions do not burden the people,” Universiti Sains Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian told Bernama.
Dr Sivamurugan said the mentri besar had the ethical duty to give importance to the construction of the Langat 2 water treatment plant to ensure adequate supply of clean water in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Selangor until 2025.
He said the mentri besar should also hold a party post at the state to ensure that no one overrides him in whatever way.
0 comments:
Post a Comment