Selangor sultan asks embattled chief Khalid to postpone resignation

Selangor's sultan on Tuesday asked Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (left) to postpone his resignation as the state's chief minister until the palace can determine his replacement. -- PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Selangor's sultan on Tuesday asked Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (left) to postpone his resignation as the state's chief minister until the palace can determine his replacement. -- PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

KUALA LUMPUR - Selangor's sultan on Tuesday asked Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to postpone his resignation as chief minister until the palace can determine his replacement.

Tan Sri Khalid told reporters after meeting the Sultan that the palace has also asked the three Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance members to nominate more than two candidates each, from which the ruler could appoint one as the next Selangor chief minister.

"I have stated that I am intending to resign. But His Majesty has decided to defer the acceptance of my resignation until he has decided on who to replace the menteri besar," Mr Khalid said on Tuesday, just 15 months after beginning his second term.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), along with coalition partners Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) and the Democratic Action Party (DAP), has governed Selangor since 2008.

Mr Khalid was sacked from the party by Anwar Ibrahim's PKR on Aug 9 for defying party orders to make way for the opposition leader's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

But Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah allowed Mr Khalid to remain in power as PAS continued to endorse him.

The Islamic party finally withdrew its support for Mr Khalid on Aug 17 - weeks after its partners did. But PAS has been unwilling to fully back Datuk Seri Wan Azizah for the chief minister's post, demanding that the PKR president's name be sent for royal assent along with that of her deputy Azmin Ali.

PKR has since January pushed to replace Mr Khalid after the PR alliance accused him of being uncooperative, and early this month alleged that he abused his position to clear a RM70 million debt.

Dr Wan Azizah has statutory declarations of support from 29 fellow lawmakers in the 56-strong legislative house, but 13 PAS assemblyman have been ordered by their leadership not to follow suit.

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