Speculation grows the 'Azmin Move' has begun

Amid news that the Selangor Sultan is returning on Saturday, shortening his vacation by 4 days in a bid to bring an early end the political crisis that has wracked Malaysia's richest, a guessing game has begun over who had leaked a fake copy of the 'Kajang Move' report and why?

The Kajang Move is a strategy drawn up by MP for Pandan Rafizi Ramli to replace Khalid Ibrahim with federal Opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim as the Selangor Mentri Besar or chief minister. The move fell through when Anwar was convicted and jailed 5 years on manifestly trumped-up sodomy charges. He was replaced by his wife Azizah, who won the Kajang state seat earlier this year.

"The speculation has gone viral because it is seen as a move to further discredit Khalid. Rafizi has made it clear the report is a fake and the general feeling is he has no reason to lie because the details of his draft are already on his blog for public reading. Some speculate it is the Azmin Ali faction behind the latest move," a Pakatan Rakyat source told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Why - because it is an open secret Azmin and Khalid have no love for each other. It is unlikely Khalid will back Azmin to replace him, so if Azmin is interested to be MB, his side must convince Khalid that it is the Azizah camp, which Rafizi belongs to, who are backstabbing him when he is down and out. But why should Azizah - she's sitting pretty with the official support of the Pakatan's 43 assemblymen backing her for MB."

Bad blood and the Azmin Move?

Malaysia Chronicle was unable to contact Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the PKR president and Kajang assemblyman, or Azmin Ali, the PKR deputy president and Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman, for their comments.

The Selangor crisis, brewing for months due to dissatisfaction with Khalid over a raft of less-than-transparent deals involving political arch-enemy Umno, sensationally erupted into the open about a month ago.

Refusing to step down for Azizah, Khalid was sacked from PKR, a move that forced Pakatan Rakyat ally PAS to drop their support for the MB and transfer allegiance to Azizah.

However, the Islamist PAS - which has made no bones about its preference for a male chief minister - also nominated Azmin in a move that was heavily criticized as being mischievous and spiteful, opening the door for greater infighting and political tussling.

Although Azmin toed the party line and pledged support for Azizah, he noticeably did not decline the PAS nomination.

Azmin lobbying quietly but making strong advances in bid for the MB post

According to insiders, just as Khalid had wooed PAS for their support, his rival Azmin was now playing the same card.

"I think until the Sultan announces his decision, there will be jostling between Azmin, Khalid and Azizah for the Sultan's attention. Khalid already knows he is out. He may want to call for snap polls but the chances of his being able to convince the Sultan is very slim. Pakatan holds 43 of the state assembly's 56 seats and Azizah has Pakatan's full backing. So on paper, it looks like Khalid has no choice but to recommend Azizah," said the source.

"However, Azmin's supporters reckon he still has a chance and they are discreetly lobbying PAS leaders to help them influence the Sultan. There is also a lot of bragging going on that Azmin and the Sultan's brother are 'best of friends'. That's the reasoning given for Khalid to recommend Azmin and stay in favor with the Palace but if Khalid did that, he knows he will end up the biggest loser. It may be too late for Khalid to stop Azmin. The PKR No.2 is very good at working his way around people and Khalid has not been alert enough. He may still hold the MB post but his favor won't count for anything as far as the Azmin camp is concerned. They may not need him."

Fake - why was it fabricated and leaked?

Meanwhile, Khalid's special officer has filed a police report on leaked document - a purported executive summary of the Kajang Move.

"I wish to stress that I have no knowledge about the seven-page document,” Azrul Azwa Ahmad Tajuddin stated in his report, sighted by Malaysiakini.

Azrul said he decided to file the complaint with the Travers police station in order to prevent his name from being linked to the document, which has gone viral on the internet. Azrul's name was mentioned in the document as being one of the collaborators.

-malaysia-chronicle.com