Khalid should step down with honour while he can, said panellists at a forum last night. The forum, titled “The Selangor MB Crisis and The Ways Forward” saw three panellists discuss the state of turmoil in Selangor involving Khalid Ibrahim’s refusal to step down from his position despite his party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) call to replace him.
Wan Saiful Wan Jan, CEO of IDEAS said that Khalid needed to step down as he did not receive the mandate of his party.
“Putting aside legalities, the reason he should leave is because his party says he should go. If you join party politics, you have to abide by the rules of the game. If you didn’t want to follow the party rules then you shouldn’t join party politics.”
Wan Saiful said that the ultimate decision on who should be the Selangor MB should come from PKR, adding that the other Pakatan component parties have to respect that if they want to follow the norms of the coalition.
The PAS member said that in his view, PAS President Hadi Awang should not have backed Khalid as taking that position set a bad precedent for PAS. “(Allowing) this means you (accept that a member) can openly defy your party and party discipline is thrown out the window,” he explained.
Normal for leadership change in a Parliamentary system
Echoing Wan Saiful’s views on the legitimacy of removing a sitting Menteri Besar (MB), Penang Institute’s Dr Wong Chin Huat said that this was the norm in a Parliamentary system, referring to several examples in UK and Australia.
Wong said that the Parliamentary system allows the legislature (parliament) to appoint the executive (government) after being voted in by the people. This differs from the Presidential system where the President (government) is directly elected by the people.
The political scientist explained that since the MB of Selangor is appointed by the political party that wins the election, it is their prerogative whether or not to replace him.
He also dispelled the myth that the only way to sack an MB is via a vote of no confidence.
“The MB needs not commit any wrongdoing in order for him to be removed from office. It is enough that the political party (or coalition) does not have confidence in him, this alone is enough grounds to remove him.”
He urged parties to stop smearing Khalid’s reputation as the mud-slinging reflected badly on the coalition.
Wong suggested that the best way to determine if Khalid still commanded the confidence of the assembly was for all 44 State Assemblymen of Selangor Pakatan Rakyat to take a vote on the matter. “If Khalid is defeated (in this vote), then he should go,” he said, adding that the voting should be done by secret ballot.
He said that allowing a party caucus to decide would be a better means of resolving the crisis since snap elections or a vote of no confidence would not favor Pakatan Rakyat.
Role of the monarchy in a vote of no confidence
The other panellist, Associate Prof Azmi Sharom said that during such a political crisis, the role of the monarchy becomes more crucial. The Universiti Malaya law lecturer said that the Sultan has the legal right to dismiss the MB if he ceases to command confidence.
However, Azmi said, this has to be done transparently and not privately, so that the institution of monarchy is not “cheapened” by involvement in politics.
“A vote of no confidence…does not mean going to the Sultan’s house for a cup of tea, and then telling him “we have no confidence”,” Azmi said that this can only be ascertained on the floor of the legislature and not in the “drawing room of His-Highness”.
Azmi said that if the Sultan makes a decision that is not transparent, it would lead to questions being raised regarding poor governance and potential abuse of power.
The speakers also debated on the suitability of PKR President Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as a replacement candidate for the MB’s post.
On August 10, Pakatan Rakyat’s PAS will decide in a meeting whether to support Wan Azizah to replace Khalid Ibrahim as MB of Selangor. However, the party’s upper echelons including Abdul Hadi Awang and PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz have recently voiced out their support for Khalid. -The Rocket
