‘Butt out of PKR’s business, Noh Omar’

Selangor PKR's tussle over the MB post is proof that, unlike BN, the party has many competent candidates, says PKR.

PETALING JAYA: Selangor BN vice-president Noh Omar should look at his own party’s failings rather than focus on the alleged strife between PKR leaders over the Selangor menteri besar position, PKR said today.

Yesterday, Noh had said that Selangor PKR was crumbling, citing the leadership tussle between PKR deputy president Azmin Ali and Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, as well as Khalid’s endorsement of PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for his post.

But Amirudin Shari, the secretary for Selangor PKR state leadership council, told reporters today the fight for the MB post in Selangor was proof that the party had plenty of competent leaders that could easily fill the position.

“Nor Omar should look at his own party, which, until now, has no candidates for the menteri besar position [in Selangor].

“If he has the guts, he should announce the candidates’ names, not interfere in other parties’ business,” Amirudin told reporters here.

He said this when announcing Hulu Selangor division chief Nazar Yakin as the Selangor PKR key state machinery chief and election coordinator.

Amirudin further quipped that if Noh’s interest in PKR’s goings-on was due to keenness to join the opposition, then the Tanjong Karang MP was welcome to submit his membership form at the party’s headquarters.

Yesterday, Noh had told reporters that PKR’s fallout was evident after Azmin rejected Khalid for the Selangor MB post should PKR retain the state in the 13th general election.

Meanwhile, Khalid’s announcement that Wan Azizah was an eligible candidate for the post is seen as a move to kill off Azmin’s hopes to rise to the state’s number one post.

“It looks like Khalid has been rejected by PKR, since Azmin is the PKR deputy president. Now Khalid is in a bind with Azmin’s camp, which rejects him as MB,” Noh had said.

“So perhaps Khalid does not want Azmin to become MB, [that is why] he said Wan Azizah is qualified to become MB.”

But Amirudin, who is also Batu Caves assemblyman, dismissed Noh’s statements as a “political attack” on PKR and Pakatan Rakyat in order to spread misperception.

Voters shifted around

Meanwhile, in the same press conference, Taman Medan assemblyperson Haniza Mohamed Talha alleged that a voter in her constituency had been shifted to the Seri Setia constituency without anyone’s knowledge.

“In 2008, she voted in Taman Medan, but now we found her under Seri Setia. It is irresponsible of the Election Commission [EC] to allow this to happen,” said Haniza.

“We have contacted the voter and she is extremely shocked that this happened to her,” he added.

She claimed that the voter was one out of 4,000 who had been transferred around the state, and would be lodging a police report to find out the individual responsible for it.

“It is the job of the EC to clean the electoral roll, not politicians or non-governmental organisations. But this incident shows their inability to clean the electoral roll,” said Haniza.