Amirudin to be dropped as Selangor MB?

 

Amirudin Shari was first appointed to the post of Selangor menteri besar in 2018.

PETALING JAYA: Rumours abound that Amirudin Shari will not be appointed as the menteri besar of Selangor for a second term after Pakatan Harapan failed to secure a two-thirds majority in the recent state polls.

A PKR leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said while Selangor PH chairman Amirudin, who retained his Sungai Tua seat, had performed well as menteri besar, he had failed to get the support of Malay voters.

The source said the name of Fahmi Ngah, who was elected as Seri Setia assemblyman on Saturday, was being bandied about to succeed Amirudin.

“Terengganu menteri besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar went missing when floods struck the state, but he was still backed by the electorate,” the source said, referring to Samsuri’s trip to New Zealand when floods struck the east coast in December. Samsuri later apologised for his absence.

“The party won 32-0 in the state election, which proves Samsuri is not disconnected from his voters,” the source added, referring to the clean sweep by PAS.

He claimed Amirudin was disconnected from Selangorians.

“Selangor is a very rich state, yet the distribution of wealth did not close the gap between the poor and the rich. It has instead widened.”

Meanwhile, another PKR source confirmed there was talk that Amirudin might not serve a second term as menteri besar.

“For now, Amirudin is in the front seat but things can change as there are camps in PKR, just like in every other party.”

The source did not rule out the possibility that the candidate for the post could be changed at the eleventh hour, similar to what had happened in Johor.

Following the Johor state election last year, Hasni Mohammad was replaced by Onn Hafiz Ghazi, despite the former menteri besar being the “poster boy” in the run-up to the polls.

“I guess we just have to wait and see. Bear in mind, this happened in PKR as well, where Amirudin was appointed at the last minute as the menteri besar in 2018,” the source added.

Amirudin was appointed to the post after Azmin Ali, then with PKR, was made a minister in Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Cabinet.

The source however said being replaced was “quite normal in politics”.

FMT has reached out to Amirudin’s camp for comment.

PH won 32 seats in Saturday’s state election, while Perikatan Nasional secured 22 seats. Barisan Nasional, PH’s ally in the federal government, won two seats. - FMT