New MB on Friday? Hogwash, says Khalid

SHAH ALAM, Sept 10 — Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim told Selangor residents to disregard speculation that a new mentri besar will be appointed on Friday, saying that formal measures would have been set in motion if this were true.
Khalid said reports claiming otherwise were unsubstantiated rumours, and that that many steps remained before his successor can take his place.

“We do not have to listen to this (rumours). If it is going to be done it has to be done following several specific processes.

“Following Selangor’s tradition there would usually be a written invitation from the palace to people... so there is no need for speculation,” Khalid said at a news conference here.

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said on Monday that he will weigh the names put forward by the three Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties, but will not limit possible candidates to those proposed by the DAP, PKR and PAS in search of Khalid’s replacement.

The ruler expressed disappointment with PKR and the DAP for submitting just one name, despite having requested for more than two names from each PR party.

Both parties have since formally apologised for doing so, but have yet to state whether they would be nominating other candidates besides PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

PAS had initially submitted two names — Dr Wan Azizah and PKR deputy President Azmin Ali — but this has since been overtaken by a list of three undisclosed names personally submitted by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang late last week.

Thirty Selangor assemblymen — all 28 from PKR and the DAP, as well as two from PAS — had signed statutory declarations in support of Dr Wan Azizah, comprising the majority of the 56-seat legislative assembly.