Fresh crisis brewing in Kedah

The two rebels are said to have garnered support from the central working committee in their attempt to unseat the menteri besar.

ALOR SETAR: Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak is facing a fresh crisis as two rebel state executive councillors are said to have gained substantial support in a bid to remove their leader.

It is learnt that the duo – Phahrolrazi Mohd Zawawi and Dr Ismail Salleh – have garnered support from members of the PAS central working committee

There are 38 members in the working committee headed by president Abdul Hadi Awang, whose decisions must receive the blessing of spiritual adviser Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

Nik Aziz is the one who ratifies any decisions made under Islamic principles.

The “mahabbah” (brotherhood and love) meeting tonight here is aimed at finding a resolution to the dispute which broke out last month when Azizan needed to reappoint his 10 state executive council members.

The row received wide publicity but Azizan managed to deflect it with the help of PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar, who is expected to have a key voice on the issue.

Mahfuz and PAS deputy president Mohamed (Mat) Sabu are two national leaders who carry clout in Kedah due to their past contributions.

Under Kedah’s guidelines, a state executive councillor’s term of office is for 12 months. It can be renewed for another 12 months subject to the consent of the menteri besar.

Two issues

Party insiders in Kedah, who spoke on condition of anonymity since there is a gag order now over the issue, said there are two issues confronting PAS.

The first is that since 2008, Hadi has allowed two movements whose ideologies are distinctively different to gain ground in the party.

One is the conservative group headed by the ulama (clerics) and the other is the progressives who are largely influenced by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Azizan is said to have the backing of the ulama while Phahrolrazi has the support of the progressive faction.

The ulama is more inclined to promoting the concept of Muslim unity while the progressive group is more interested in fighting and toppling Umno.

The second issue is that Azizan is said to be unwell even before 2008 and after a heart attack last year, his own key performance indicator is said to be rock bottom.

“Azizan does not chair meetings eloquently and at times, comes across as slouchy and erratic. Most people attribute it to his ailing health. This has unnerved a number of state executive council members,” the insiders claimed.

The insiders revealed that PKR and DAP were supporting Phahrolrazi and were agreeable to the idea that the latter be appointed as acting menteri besar to allow Azizan to recuperate.

But Azizan shot it down because he suspects that this was a move to remove him permanently.

Low-profile witchhunt

Azizan is believed to have embarked on low-profile witchhunt and had warned PKR executive council members and DAP not to interfere in PAS affairs, thus the “elegant silence” from the two parties.

It is believed that this witchhunt had angered Phahrolrazi and Ismail, who, in a show of defiance, wrote in formally, asking not to be reappointed into the state government.

The entire issue is expected to be resolved at the crucial meeting tonight, where a right decision may salvage the state government but a wrong one may see Pakatan out of power in the state.

Hadi is once again expected to preach his message of moderation, unity, brotherhood and love in a bid to get both Azizan and Phahrolrazi to close ranks for the sake of PAS and the state government as well as the long-term prospects for Pakatan.

His message would also be about preparing for the next general election as Pakatan has a tough battle ahead to defend the state.

Kedah has 36 state seats of which Pakatan has only 19 (PAS-16, PKR-two and DAP-one), while Barisan Nasional (BN) 15. There is one Independent, previously from PKR.

Azizan does not enjoy a two-thirds majority in Kedah, while he is also up against former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who remains highly repected in the state.

Kedah Kita chairman Zamil Ibrahim said Kedah may emulate Perak if PAS does not handle the crisis well because both BN and Pakatan do not have the two-thirds majority.

Perak fell back to BN control in 2009 after three Pakatan representatives defected.

Zamil said if Azizan follows his conscience, he should consider seeking royal consent from the Sultan of Kedah to dissolve the State Legislative Assembly, paving the way for a fresh state election.

“Kedahans are confused over what is happening. The state machinery has stopped functioning since the trouble began,” he said.

To be fair to the people, Azizan should seek the royal consent to dissolve the state assembly, expel the rebels and field a new line-up, who can serve the state if they win back the mandate,

instead of bickering among themselves now, Zamil added.

He said for the first time in Kedah’s political history, there are rebels within the state government trying to oust a sitting menteri besar, adding that Azizan should put a stop to it.