Aide’s remarks not Sultan’s views, claims Selangor MB

Khalid maintains the Sultan agreed he had no powers over the state’s civil service appointments. — Picture by Jack Ooi

SHAH ALAM, Jan 5 — Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has stood by his version of events during an audience with the Selangor Sultan, refuting statements made by palace officials yesterday.

The Selangor mentri besar reiterated today that Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had concurred that the state’s Ruler had no power over the appointment of top civil servants in Selangor.

Khalid claimed the remark made by the Sultan’s private secretary, Datuk Mohamed Munir Bani, was a “personal one” and did not reflect the Sultan’s stand on the matter.

“That is only his (Mohamad Munir’s) opinion, that is his statement. The Sultan knows that we discussed it, the impact of the 1993 amendments had reduced the powers of the monarchy. I don’t think the Sultan disagrees with this. It is a fact of history.

Yesterday, the Selangor palace has refuted Khalid’s version of his audience with the Sultan yesterday, in which the mentri besar said the state ruler had acknowledged he has no power over senior civil service appointments.

Munir stressed yesterday that the Sultan held the executive power and, therefore, had the right to decide on Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi’s appintment as the new Selangor state secretary.

“The mentri besar’s press statement yesterday on January 3 saying that that the Selangor Sultan was of the view that he did not have the power to accept or reject any candidates suggested by the Public Services Commission (PSC) is incorrect,” he said.

“What actually happened is that the names of potential candidates for the state secretary post had been presented to His Royal Highness by the Public Services Department which is part of the Public Services Commission.”

“As the chief executive of the Selangor state government, the Sultan gave his blessings to one of the candidates. The PSD had after that agreed to the Sultan’s choice of candidate through a letter issued by the Public Services Department following Article 52 (1) and (2)a of the state constitution. This is a convention, a normal practice in Selangor,” Munir said in a statement yesterday.

The Selangor MB announced yesterday that Selangor will hold an emergency sitting of the state legislative assembly to change the state constitution and return to the mentri besar and Sultan the power to appoint the state’s secretary, finance officer and legal advisor.

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