The speculation on whether or not Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Dato Seri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim will step down to pave the way for Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) patriarch Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim is reaching a fever pitch, especially after the abrupt resignation yesterday of Kajang state assemblyman Lee Chin Cheh of PKR.
To date, all persons involved in this round of speculation have denied that events are leading up to a run by Anwar for Selangor’s top post.
Popular perception of the situation surrounding the Selangor state government is that Anwar is making moves to pre-emptively defuse tensions between two PKR stalwarts, MB Khalid and Gombak MP and PKR Deputy President Azmin Ali, who has been openly critical of the state leadership.
The two have been seen to be locked in a power struggle for the past year, with the latest development involving Azmin being sacked from the board of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), which falls under the purview of the state government, and by extension the Menteri Besar.
Khalid has also been courting controversy with his recent salary hikes for Selangor state officials amidst nationwide austerity drives and subsidy cuts, and his office’s silence in the wake of the JAIS raids on the offices of the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) where more than 300 copies of Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Iban translations of the Bible and Luke’s Gospels were confiscated.
UPDATE: It’s just been announced that Anwar will be running in the by-election for the Kajang State Assembly (DUN) seat left vacant by Lee Chin Cheh. This opens up the way for the PKR leader to position himself as a possible new Menteri Besar, should he win.
