'Umno reps may be appointed if PAS excos quit'

The four Selangor PAS executive council members chose to remain with Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim so as to prevent the state from falling into the hands of Umno.

Pakatan Rakyat sources toldMalaysiakini that the palace had indicated that Umno members of the state assembly would be appointed and a minority government formed should the PAS quartet vacate their posts.

"This is something the PAS exco members want to do to prevent Selangor from falling into Umno's rule, but the rakyat and Pakatan leaders have been highly critical of them," a Pakatan leader revealed on condition he is not named.

Umno has 12 elected assemblypersons in the Selangor Legislative Assembly.

The Pakatan state government, which has been in power since 2008, has been on tenterhooks after Khalid sacked DAP and PKR exco members who refused to back him in the ongoing crisis.

PAS and its Selangor exco members have been drawing flak for expressing support for the current administration pending Sunday's PAS central executive council meeting to decide on the party's stand.

However, PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail revealed yesterday that two PAS assemblypersons, Saari Sungib (Hulu Kelang) and Hasnul Baharuddin (Morib), were backing her to take over as menteri besar.

With the support of Saari and Hasnul, Wan Azizah has 30 members of the state assembly behind her, giving her the majority in the 56-member legislature.

PAS has since initiated a probe into the action of the Saari and Hasnul, which it sees as contravening the party’s stand.

However, the Pakatan source said he was informed that several PAS leaders would back the duo to ensure that no action is taken against them.

"They are just following what was decided in the PAS muktamar (general assembly) and the majority of PAS leaders support their action," he added.

RM3.2 billion would have gone to Umno

Meanwhile, Selangor PAS exco Sallehen Mukhyi also said he and his party colleagues remained in their posts to "save the Pakatan government".

He noted that the state constitution allowed for the formation of a minority government if the sultan consented.

"If four PAS excos boycott, four Umno excos will be appointed by the palace. Even though, this is only until the coming state assembly sitting (in November).

"If the assembly is dissolved, then Umno would be the last government (in power)," he was quoted as saying in Selangor PAS' Facebook page.

Sallehen also said that if this happened, the RM3.2 billion state reserve would fall into the hands of Umno.

Commenting on this issue, constitutional expert Abdul Aziz Bari said: "I don't know what minority government PAS is talking about."

"What we have under Khalid now is an illegal government which under the constitution merits a sack by the sultan," he toldMalaysiakini.

The Universiti Selangor (Unisel) senior lecturer said that the sultan is duty-bound to do so.

"What is the basis for Khalid to remain given the hard evidence at the hands of Wan Azizah?" he asked in reference to the PKR president having majority support.