UMNO'S GREAT 'PERIOD' DEBATE: Should Azizah be MB or not?

SHAH ALAM - Efforts to push for the appointment of Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as Selangor menteri besar may not pan out because of may not bode well against the convention of functionality due to religious obligations.

There is no specific provision in the Selangor state constitution which that disallows a woman from being a menteri besar, but the possible appointment of the PKR president to replace Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim might not end smoothly.

Article 51 (2) of the Selangor State Constitution 1959 only stipulated criteria that no person should be appointed as menteri besar "unless he is of the Malay race and professes the Muslim Religion", prompting several opposition party leaders to endorse the idea of a woman menteri besar.

And although according to legal canons of interpretations which dictated that anything masculine could also be referred to as feminine, menteris besar have been appointed among men since Independence.

"This is because should a woman menteri besar suffer from 'uzur syarie' (period), there will be a number of obstacles for her to accompany the Sultan at several religious functions.

"Hence, the article under the Selangor constitution for example may not hinder a woman from becoming a menteri besar, but by convention there could be problems due to the said circumstances," explained constitutional expert Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun.

Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail

A day after the Kajang by-election was held in March, Dr Wan Azizah's husband, party de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had suggested that his wife could be menteri besar in place of him.

The final tally during the controversial by-election showed Dr Wan Azizah won 16,741 votes while Barisan Nasional's Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun garnered 11,362 votes. PKR won by 5,379 vote majority.

Party sources were trotting around the idea of having Anwar to choose between PKR deputy president Azmin Ali and Dr Wan Azizah since Anwar could not make it to office as menteri besar, after the court overturned his acquittal from sodomy charge also in March.

"Anwar too, would prefer to have either Azmin or Wan Azizah to be menteri besar on behalf of him since he could not stand for the Kajang by-election," said a source.

A law lecturer with Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) Associate Professor Dr Shamrahayu Abdul Aziz agreed with Hafarizam, saying that in terms of practicality, a female menteri besar might go through difficulties when escorting the Sultan of Selangor for formal occassions as they have to sit separately in accordance to the formalities.

Azmin Ali

"There is no specification in the state laws that does not allow for a woman to be the menteri besar. The main requirements are for the candidate to be Muslims and Malay. But we also have to take into account sensitivities and taboo in society, as well as whether we are ready for a female menteri besar.

"Even so, women in Malaysia have shown incredible track record in leadership and appointment to high positions in the government and private sector. If the candidate for menteri besar fulfills all the requirements and is credible to lead the state, then we have nothing to worry about," she said.

However, PKR believed that the change of guard was possible since Anwar had from time and again mentioned that the menteri besar's post did not belong to an individual.

"The selection of candidate is based on the party's (PKR) prerogative while the Sultan only has the power to endorse the appointment of the menteri besar," said Sri Muda assemblyman and PKR state information chief Shuhaimi Shafiei.

"They are not used to being led by a woman (menteri besar) in the state," reiterated Khalid's former political secretary Faekah Husin.

Furthermore, party insiders said it was mostly because Khalid's ascend to the office was endorsed by Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and the appointment of Selangor Pas commissioner Iskandar Abdul Samad as State Housing, Building Development and Squatters Committee chairman had bought over the party's gratitude towards Khalid.

"We are thankful that Khalid recognises Pas' contribution during the 13th General Election in Selangor. He understood our sentiment that Pas also has the right the lead the state as menteri besar," said a Pas insider.

Iskandar Abdul Samad

Hence, most were not interested to see Khalid leaving the office due to an internal squabble among PKR.

"Khalid did not do anything wrong. For whatever it is, we have Yang Berhormat Iskandar to represent our opinions on the matter," added another close aide to Iskandar.

Selangor Pas members have voiced their support for Khalid collectively after Iskandar was reported to have gone against calls for a change of menteri besar.

"Khalid has been made the scapegoat for every problem in Selangor. The ones who demand for his resignation are out of ideas for suggesting to replace the menteri besar whenever a problem crops up,” said Iskandar. -NST