AN UMNO MB IN A PAKATAN STATE? No one indispensable, Khalid must step down or be run out!

It is time for Selangor Menteri Besar, Khalid Ibrahim to choose either to resign, or to put it crudely, face the wrath of Selangor voters.

If he thinks that he is indispensable, then he is absolutely wrong. In a democratic country, Governments are elected into power and they too can be elected out. In order for the ruling party to remain in power, they have to engage with the people.

The worst thing that can can happen to any elected representative or the Head of the Government is when they become disengaged with the people, or bask themselves in their own glories.

Khalid has to realise that his position as MB is the result of the efforts of Selangorians who wanted to see change in this country. Without the people's support, he is no one. Before he became the MB of Selangor, most of us have never even heard about Khalid.

He should be impeached

Although in Malaysia, the situation is different since we have already seen nearly 60 years under the rule of Barisan Nasional, and people will continue supporting Pakatan all the way to Putrajaya, it does not mean that the people will necessarily continue to support Khalid  himself, even if he stands as State Assemblyman in another constituency.

He had already failed his own constituency in Ulu Selangor before moving to Port Klang, where else can he go to get the votes of the people? Khalid also came into the picture, because he was riding on the political tsunami of 2008.

Now, even if Khalid thinks he is indispensable, the parties that supported him would have to reassess his performance and decide whether to advise him to resign or seek his removal by tabling a motion of no confidence in him. Once impeached, Khalid may even lose the respect of the people of Selangor.

Understandably, Khalid has come under a lot of pressure being an MB in a Pakatan State, where the attacks have come from various quarters. Unfortunately, now I agree with Opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim that Khalid lacks strong leadership that the State requires.

Most of us are happy with the first five years of his performance as MB, but in his second term, Khalid has made a number of blunders with important issues such as the water woes, Kidex and the controversial raid on the Bible Society of Malaysia. I guess his failure to follow the advices of his fellow colleagues is now his downfall.

Khalid should have realised by now that we can see the dirty politics that is being played in order to destabilise the Selangor State Government, and that we also see that he is incapable of handling the issues well - not to mention even communicating it to the people.

Often, when I read the news, and listen to Khalid's press conferences, I shake my head. How can he say such things? Is it because of his ego or he is simply out of touch with things happening around him?

Mysterious Bank Islam loan settlement

The options are clear. If Khalid resigns on his own accord, he may still be respected for doing  a fine job in the first five years of his administration. People's respect cannot be bought or usurped, and he should appreciate this goodwill that people still show him.

However, in the last one year since the 13th General Election, Khalid has making far too many statements that contradicted the people's wishes.

I am not sure if this has anything to do with his bank loan, but from my observations, Khalid is either living in self-denial or he is caught up in his little own world. From the number of press conferences that I have seen him speaking, Khalid appears not to be engaging eye-to-eye with the reporters.

The same observation can be made of Prime Minister, Najib Abdul Razak. I am not sure if this is the typical Asian 'shyness' but people are really looking to a leader who can 'engage' with the people. Barack Obama is a good example who knows how to engage people at a level that inspires confidence. Such leaders are both persuasive and able to command the people's respect, not turn off the people with their arrogance.

From whence Khalid learnt that corporate jobs are more secure, I am not sure, but one thing that I can say is that we have a man who has lost touch with reality. I am sure more will be coming his way if he chooses to stay on. - MAILBAG