PETALING JAYA: Azmin Ali is not the only candidate who is qualified to be Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) “poster boy” for the upcoming state elections, says PAS.
Selangor PAS secretary Roslan Shahir said there are other individuals from the coalition who could potentially be considered for the post of menteri besar should PN win at the state polls, Utusan Malaysia reported.
He said there had also not been any discussion between the component parties – PAS, Bersatu and Gerakan – at the state level on PN naming Azmin as the Selangor menteri besar candidate ahead of the polls.
“There is no issue of PAS rejecting Azmin because it was never even raised in our meetings. Moreover, Azmin is not the only person qualified (for the position), there are many others suitable to become (PN’s) ‘poster boy’,” he was quoted as saying.
Roslan said as far as Selangor PAS is concerned, the matter is the prerogative of the Selangor sultan.
“If we repeat history by naming a poster boy, it would seem like we are disrespecting the Sultan,” he said, according to Utusan Malaysia.
The Malay daily had previously quoted an unnamed senior aide to Azmin saying the coalition wished to have Azmin as its menteri besar candidate but was facing opposition from PAS.
Roslan said PAS did not want to “repeat” PKR’s mistake of naming Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the menteri besar candidate in the Kajang by-election in 2014, infamously called the Kajang Move, “only to be rejected by the palace in the end”.
“We want to avoid any misunderstanding as if we are forcing the Sultan to choose the menteri besar candidate that we have put forward,” he added.
PKR was allied with PAS and DAP in the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat coalition when the Kajang Move took place.
Asked if PAS would demand to put forward its own candidate for menteri besar if it wins more seats than Bersatu, Roslan said this would not happen because all matters would be agreed upon through negotiations.
On Saturday, PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin placed the onus on Azmin, who is Selangor PN chief, to deliver victory at upcoming polls.
Azmin, who served as Selangor menteri besar from September 2014 to May 2018, was previously reported to have said that he had no plans to contest in the Selangor elections.
He cited his desire to take a break from politics and to pave the way for younger candidates to assume his role. -FMT
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