YOURSAY ‘By putting it to a vote, it will put the whole matter to rest.’

Khalid resigns as Selangor MB, no snap polls

Multi Racial: The palace asked for more than one nomination from Pakatan. On the surface it may appear as a smart move. But this could backfire on the sultan depending on his next move.

If the sultan takes upon himself to decide who becomes the MB then he too has to be responsible for the success and failure of the MB. This will take away his impartiality.

On the other hand, if the sultan puts these nominated candidates to a vote in the state assembly, this will turn out to be an excellent move.

This is because if the sultan were to accept PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's claim to the MB post, there could still be doubt on the support for her, especially from the two PAS state assemblypersons who have signed the statutory declaration (SD).

One of them has in fact publicly stated that his action was more about removing Khalid rather than support for Wan Azizah.

By putting this to vote, it will not just be transparent but put to rest who actually has the majority support in the assembly. Thumbs up to the sultan if he chooses the latter move.

Mushiro: The press statement from the palace requested PAS, PKR and DAP to each nominate more than two names as MB candidate.

The SDs, whereby 30 state representatives from PKR, DAP and PAS declared their support for PKR's Wan Azizah, show a clear majority. There are no second and third MB candidates as the decision was unanimous.

In this current situation, PAS may nominate a PAS candidate for MB but this cannot be considered as PAS can only get 13 state representatives to support their candidate. The 30 state assemblypersons who signed the SDs are speaking on behalf of the rakyat of Selangor and this has to be respected.

Gerard Lourdesamy: PKR and DAP will nominate only one candidate - Wan Azizah. PAS can nominate Wan Azizah, Azmin Ali, and two others presumably from PAS (despite its earlier claim of not being interested in the MB position).

The sultan can only appoint an MB who has a minimum 29 Adun (assemblypersons) backing him or her in the state assembly. At present, the only candidate with the requisite numbers is Wan Azizah.

If the ruler is not satisfied, he can summon an emergency meeting of the state assembly to allow Wan Azizah to test her majority in the assembly. If she carries the day, it is the ruler's obligation to appoint her as MB to reflect the will of the House.

At the end of the day, a ruler in a constitutional monarchy merely reigns and does not rule or govern. That power lies with the people and their democratically-elected representatives in the legislature.

The standing and dignity of the Crown requires it to remain impervious to party politics and its resultant chicanery.  

NewMalaysia: The people gave the mandate to Pakatan as the government of Selangor in the last election. Thus, whatever decision Pakatan makes or how well the state has been run, Pakatan has to answer to the people of Selangor in next election.

How would it be fair to Pakatan if they have to face the people when they can't even have their decision on the MB of Selangor?

The sultan should stay above politics and allow Pakatan to face the consequences for whoever it chooses as MB, to avoid being blamed later on by Pakatan that the MB was not its choice but the sultan's.

Man on the Street: Since it is a coalition of parties that is going to run the state, then the sultan is right and reasonable in asking for more than two names. This is because there is no general consensus by the three parties on the matter.

One might argue that this is not the precedent in other states but one must be aware that it is the first time a state government is formed by a coalition of parties as Pakatan is not a registered entity.

So the sultan has acted reasonably and fairly so as not to jeopardise the image of the state.

??: More questions are forced to be raised with the sultan's dictate. If Pakatan gives only one name, it could be accused of "not respecting sultan", but if Pakatan gives three names, it is at risk of the sultan choosing the third, presumably PAS' choice.

If the sultan selects the third choice, what can Pakatan do? Push through a motion of no-confidence vote against the new MB? What then if all 15 PAS state assemblymen are forbidden to support the motion? All eyes are now on the palace.

Ferdtan: Is this a way for the palace to be seen having the discretionary power to choose an MB? If Wan Azizah is chosen, then it is a win-win for all parties.

Palace gets/retains the discretionary power to decide and the PKR gets the MB it wanted in the first place. If not, then it is all upside-down and the palace's prestige may drop due to the public's adverse opinions.

It looks like PKR deputy president Azmin Ali may get his chance to be MB. Azmin has came out of this episode smelling like a rose. Now even DAP has no objection to his candidacy.

But BN be warned, don't be too happy if Azmin is chosen, in the hope of diluting Anwar’s power. This may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Pakatan. Azmin is a known political animal (this is meant as a compliment) and he may hasten their road to Putrajaya with his political skill.

Anonymous_40f4: Why more than two names? Is this kind of lucky draw or is it according to Umno Baru's script?

When Khalid Ibrahim was proposed as MB, there was only one name submitted but why now the need for more names? This is truly Bolehland, with endless possibilities.

Malaysia ABU: What 'convention' is that? The state constitution only states that the sultan shall appoint an assemblyperson who commands the majority support in the House.

Since Wan Azizah commands the majority support of the Adun (30 out of 56), does the palace still have doubt on the support that Wan Azizah has? Has our sultan been poorly advised?

Anonymous_5fb: At face value, it seems this MB crisis is over soon, but it isn't. It will drag on and on.

To end this episode, the Selangor State Assembly needs to be convened and a vote taken to determine which potential MB candidate has the majority support from the Adun.

This majority support should be determined by voting in the state assembly and the outcome must be respected by all parties, including the sultan.

Nomination of potential candidates, in whatever number to the sultan, may be the correct procedure by convention, but it's not right in the spirit of the constitution.

Swipenter: Bolehland is not rooted strongly in rule of law but instead strongly practises the rule by law since the time of Dr Mahathir Mohamad's administration. That is why this MBgate can happen.

This present saga has not ended and we are going to see many plots and sub-plots leading right up to GE14.

From now on, just watch carefully PAS, the hidden hands of Umno Baru and the palace to get an idea of what the next round would be.

Constitutional monarch shouldn't meddle in politics

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