The Selangor mentri besar had earlier dared the state’s opposition to support his proposed amendment to the state constitution, if it was sincere in upholding the royal institution.
The Malaysian Insider reported yesterday that the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government did not expect to secure the two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution, but planned to proceed with an emergency sitting of the state assembly to “expose” Umno.
“Khalid has to prove that the KSN (Chief Secretary) did not get the Sultan’s consent when appointing the state secretary since independence till now,” Selangor Umno deputy chief Datuk Noh Omar told The Malaysian Insider yesterday.
“Until today, including Khusrin’s case, the KSN still seeks the Sultan’s consent,” he added.
Putrajaya insists that the federal Public Service Commission (PSC) has the right to appoint the state’s top civil servant.
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan also said the Selangor constitution did not require him to consult the state government when making such an appointment.
He further claimed that the Sultan’s consent to Khusrin’s appointment was merely an act of “courtesy”.
Noh pointed out, however, that the PSC had always sought royal consent before appointing the state secretary.
“The SPA must give three or four names to the Sultan,” said Noh.
“Whether before 1993 or after 1993 till now, whenever the KSN wants to appoint the state secretary, he must get consent from the Sultan. So what’s wrong?” he asked.
Khalid accused Umno on Sunday of committing treason in 1993 when then-prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad limited the powers of the monarchy.
Selangor’s proposed amendments to Section 52 of the state constitution, which covers the appointments of the state secretary, state legal advisor, and state financial officer, are expected to mirror the version prior to the 1993 amendments.
PR, which holds 35 seats in the 56-seat assembly, is three seats shy of the two-thirds majority necessary to amend the constitution.
The Malaysian Insider understands that the state assembly sitting, which will take place on January 24 according to Selangor speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim, is also aimed at contesting Umno’s accusations of PR being treasonous.
But Noh asserted yesterday that Khalid was defying the Sultan by rejecting the ruler’s blessing of Khusrin’s appointment.
“Khalid is trying to use the Sultan in politics, not Umno,” said Noh.
“Khalid is the stubborn one as he does not want to listen to the Sultan. Then he twists and says that Umno does not want to listen to the Sultan,” he added.
Noh added that the current crisis could repeat itself even if the amendments were passed.
“If Khalid amends the constitution and if he gives powers to the Sultan, what if the MB does not want the Sultan’s pick? Then we’ll come back to square one,” said the Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry.
Former Selangor mentri besar Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo described his successor as “power-crazy”.
“What they (PR) are trying to do is to give power to the MB, not Tuanku,” Khir told The Malaysian Insider.
“On one side, they say they want to give more power to Tuanku. On another side, they don’t agree with Tuanku’s appointment,” he added.
The Sungai Panjang assemblyman added that Barisan Nasional (BN) would engage a legal expert to study the amendments carefully.
“They might use the words ‘on advice of the MB’. In legal terms, advice means it must be followed,” said Khir.
“Khalid should accept Khusrin’s appointment. By not doing that, he is not respecting Tuanku’s [selection],” he added.
Selangor has been locked in a tussle with Putrajaya since Sidek named Khusrin to the state’s top civil officer post on December 27.
The state has insisted that it can choose its own state secretary and has refused to recognise the appointment of the former Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) director. - Malaysian Insider
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.