PAS and PKR deny Perak crisis rumours - malaysiakini

Malaysiakini's report:

Both PAS and PKR leaders have shot down a suggestion that Perak Menteri Besar Mohamad Nizar Jamaludin from PAS would be replaced by a PKR candidate soon.

MCPX

Leaders from the two components of Pakatan Rakyat spoke in unison to brush aside the suggestion from an unnamed Umno analyst which was published in the Malay Mail yesterday.

PKR vice-president Dr Lee Boon Chye did not see this as an issue and Pakatan in Perak “are still supporting Mohamad Nizar as menteri besar at the moment”.

“Some people like to fuel up the issue now that they are feeling more threatened because more BN assemblypersons are leaving and they are feeling the pressure.

“But as far as we are concerned, we support Mohamad Nizar as the menteri besar and there is no plan to remove him from the post,” he stressed.

According to the Malay Mail report, the Umno analyst argued that the defection of former Umno Bota assemblyperson Nasharuddin Hashim last week could be an advantage to PKR “to wrest away the menteri besar post now held by PAS’ Mohamad Nizar Jamaludin”.

What the analyst said

“Nasharuddin’s defection has now given PKR a highly qualified candidate for the menteri besar post. He is a graduate and a former high ranking civil servant. This gives PKR a candidate who can be alleviated to the post.

“I am sure it will not be long before PKR initiates plans to wrest the menteri besar post away from PAS,” he said.

The Umno analyst also pointed out that PKR “should have had the menteri besar post as it had won eight seats to PAS’ six in the last general election.”

“(But) the post went to PAS as PKR did not have qualified candidates among its state assemblypersons (then),” the source said.

At the PAS end, it is all easy going too - the party is unperturbed by the latest ‘conspiracy theory’.

Information chief Mahfuz Omar said the suggestion from the “Umno street analyst” did not make any sense at all.

“For us PAS, we have no problem, because the appointment for the new menteri besar is under the jurisdiction of the sultan. He has the right to appoint anybody whom he thinks is qualified for the job,” he told Malaysiakini when contacted.

“Besides, it is only Pakatan’s concern on the menteri besar issue, not Umno’s,” Mahfuz asserted.

Pakatan has 32 seats in Perak with DAP (18), PKR (8) and PAS (6), while BN has 27 with Umno (26) and MCA (1) - malaysiakini.com