Netizens lash out at PAS over divisive Selangor MB issue

Netizens are angry with PAS over their resistance to removing Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim as Selangor menteri besar, with many calling for the Islamist party to leave Pakatan Rakyat.

Others hit out at the loosely-held coalition over the "mess" in Selangor, saying that PR was bound to lose Malaysia's richest state to Barisan Nasional if it did not resolve the matter soon.

"This may be a blessing in disguise – Purging Pakatan of those whose vision is too small and doesn't include Putrajaya, @MengoYee tweeted, referring to Islamic party PAS.

@kcwai said: "So, Hadi is willing to lose Sgor to BN in GE14 despite calls to remove Khalid as MB, just like how PAS lost Kedah?"

The user was referring to PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang who has publicly thrown his support behind Khalid and said he disagreed with replacing the latter.

"PAS needs to be split instead. Then the moderates can continue to ensure PR thrives. Enough of proUmno gang antics," said @kcwai.

Twitter user @oonyeoh concurred, saying: "Never mind, I'm prepared to see PAS return to its old days of being an opposition party that can win only Kelantan.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had said earlier that the refusal of PAS to respect and adhere to views agreed together could lead to the break up of the coalition.

"If the decisions we have achieved together in the Pakatan highest leadership council is dismissed just like that by one party, the survival and credibility of Pakatan will continue to be undermined," he had said.

@lawofmalaysia warned that: "if this happens PAS will lose all non-Malay support in Selangor!"

"Its for Pakatan to lose rather than BN to win," said @SharaadKuttan.

Others hit out at the coalition saying that the support for Pakatan could dwindle following the differences in opinion within the parties.

"Paras air di empangan-empangan di Selangor mungkin sama rendah dengan paras sokongan rakyat Selangor kepada Pakatan. aku rasa la," said @norman__g. (the water level in Selangor dams is probably the same level as the support of the people of Selangor towards Pakatan, I feel).

@askaychan added: "The political game in Selangor for MB post amidst the tragedies of MH370, MH17 and Gaza is downright disgusting."

@ahmadridzalman also said" "100% agree..mmg padan muka kalau hilang kuasa disebabkan isu ini." (I agree 100%..it would serve them right if they lost their power because of this issue."

PKR initiated the "Kajang move" to replace Khalid with its de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after numerous complaints against the two-term MB for running the state unilaterally without consulting his party PKR as well as the national Pakatan leadership.

He had also been criticised for his handling of issues, such as water rationing, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department's seizure of Bahasa Malaysia and Iban-language Bibles and support for the Kinrara Damansara Expressway (Kidex), which upset some Pakatan leaders as it was seen as going against the pact's election manifesto to abolish tolled highways.

Anwar was supposed to run as the party's candidate in the Kajang by-election but the plan was scuttled after the Court of Appeal found him guilty of sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

His wife, PKR president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail ran in Anwar’s place and won the state seat and has been endorsed by PKR as the candidate for the Selangor MB post and a consensus was reached at the PR leadership council meeting on Wednesday.

However, Khalid has remained adamant that he would not step down as MB, saying he would continue to hold the post until his term ended.

Hadi’s endorsement of Khalid, followed immediately by his deputy president Mohamad Sabu's reply that Hadi was merely expressing his "personal view", might split the Islamist party.

Influential PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat also weighed in on the issue, backing Hadi's support for Khalid. – July 28, 2014.