YOURSAY ‘They just don't want to say she can't be MB because she's a woman.’

Sultan never interfered, says palace

NewMalaysia: May I just ask, if the Selangor sultan didn't interfered, then why was Dr Wan Azizah Wan Azizah, who has the majority support and the only candidate proposed by both PKR and DAP, was not appointed as MB?

As far as I know, PAS didn't propose Azmin Ali as well, so someone must have been interfering - if it’s not the sultan, then it must be Umno.

??: Sometimes I wonder if God has done a great disservice to humanity by creating Eve. She bears the pain of child birth and the burden of nursing the baby with milk created from her own blood.

The way Kak Wan has been treated is a shame on all Malaysians. She can be anybody's mother, sister or daughter. Shouldn't she be given a reasonable explanation why she is unfit to be an MB?

We brag that “heaven is under the mother's feet”. Is this the way to treat a mother?

Don't worry, Kak Wan, you will always be in our 'doa' for in you I see a God-fearing righteous Muslim woman. Let Allah right this wrong, you just be patient.

Quigonbond: There was clear majority support for Wan Azizah. They just don't want to say she can't be MB because she's a woman knowing how sexist that would be.

The danger is going forward, now that the rulers have an inroad to who can be appointed leader, no leader of any party is assured anymore of ascendency to the highest office in the land - not Pakatan or BN.

This seems a palatable compromise for now, but let's call a spade a spade, our democracy is screwed once again.

SRMan: "The appointment of PKR deputy president Azmin Ali as the new Selangor menteri besar came a result of Pakatan Rakyat's inability to agree on who would take the post," said Selangor sultan’s private secretary Mohamad Munir Bani.

So, was the new MB agreed upon by all the Pakatan parties?

Malaccan: HRH (His Royal Highness) has the indisputable prerogative to choose whomever he thinks can command the majority support. Munir must not parse that statement and take the first half and ignore the second part.

Munir must not give reasons that may lead people to think that HRH did not understand the meaning of the statutory declarations the palace received showing majority support for Wan Azizah. PAS' submission of a list excluding Wan Azizah is irrelevant, and superceded by the support of two of their Aduns (state assemblypersons).

Majority support means support of the Aduns, not PAS nor its president Abdul Hadi Awang. The candidacy of Wan Azizah was clear. The support was clear. But HRH has exercised his prerogative as is.

In order to move Selangor forward, PKR and DAP are now supporting Azmin as MB. It might be spun to say HRH's choice was correct in the first place, but the support comes after the fact.

PKR and DAP's choice of only Wan Azizah may have complicated HRH's choice but more importantly it was constitutional and correct, despite getting much grief from the palace.

Waktamnoko: Since all three parties in the unofficial coalition could not even agree among themselves, HRH did the right thing by appointing somebody not proposed by anybody. 

After all, according to his private secretary he was only exercising his “discretion” on the matter, so serves Pakatan right for being so stupid and rigid in the first place.

Ipohcrite: It is technically correct to say that the palace didn't interfere. The palace merely dictated who should not be MB and, in doing so, broke with convention by requesting for more than one name for the post of MB.

A dangerous precedent has been set and, I imagine, the rakyat will not easily forget.

Proarte: Royal 'discretion' is only applicable in a 'hung' situation. Otherwise the sultan is obliged to appoint someone who has a clear majority. Why has Munir Bani failed to address this basic issue?

Azizah had a clear majority and if the sultan wants to convince his subjects that he is telling the truth then he has to explain why he did not accept Azizah as a candidate even though she had provided evidence that she had majority support by way of statutory declarations.

The sultan must be seen to upholding the rule of law and the constitution, otherwise he has no relevance to the people of Selangor

Whatsup: The fact that the palace’s spokesman is explaining shows clearly there was interference.

It was clear as sky that majority wanted Wan Azizah, so how could he make a statement that Pakatan could not agree on who should take the post - just because of PAS' insistence and its reneging of the coalition’s agreement?

That justified “inability to agree”? Come off it. Stop giving excuses making it worse than it is already.

Hank Marvin: The whole world is watching and what is done by the Selangor palace and this piece of explanation will be analysed by many; here and abroad.

But it remains one that has deviated from the consistent practice. The palace still talks about more names. But is there anything in the constitution which gives the palace power to make such a request?

BeeC: Tuanku, all you need to do, constitutionally, is to appoint the one who has already obtained majority support. Anything more than that is seen as interference.

I know, he knows, all know about this simple rule.

If no interference, why reject seeing Azizah?

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