It is unimaginable that one man can cause so much chaos and frustration to the democratic process. But that’s what Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim has done.
He has simply ignored the time-honoured democratic tradition by stubbornly refusing to resign when it is starkly clear that he no longer enjoys the majority support of the Selangor State Assembly.
To top it all, he has sacked the majority of his exco members, all of whom are from DAP and Keadilan. Whether he has the authority to do so is questionable, but he is not bothered with it. But by sacking them, he has demonstrated that there is no longer a Pakatan government in Selangor.
This vile plot seems to pave the way for the return of Umno/BN rule in Selangor in defiance of the voters of Selangor who had given an overwhelming mandate for a Pakatan government.
The next logical step in this undemocratic conduct, it seems, is to appoint Umno assembly members as exco members and increase the number of Pas exco members to complete the plot.
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The question now is whether Pas will go along with this plot to reverse the outcome of the 13th general election, which denied the BN the right to rule Selangor. The BN government was thrown out, suffering a degrading and humiliating defeat with Umno winning only 12 seats out of the 56 contested.
For the plot to take shape, Pas has to play along with Khalid. Pas has to abandon its Islamic credentials in order to prevent the Pakatan government from remaining intact. It would be a terrible betrayal of its faith and the trust of the voters of Selangor if Pas went along with this plot. Will Pas uphold this injustice to share power with a previously hated enemy?
Without the support of Pas, there is no ghostly chance for the return of Umno in Selangor. It is only with the tacit support of Pas that Umno – which was roundly rejected by Selangor voters – can be part of a government that is being hatched by Khalid.
Pas has to decide – and decide immediately – whether it wants to be part and parcel of this nefarious plot. If not, it must instruct its four exco members not to cooperate with Khalid and perpetuate a wrong that deserves to be condemned. It is the only way to unravel Khalid’s plot to topple the democratically elected Pakatan government.
Will Pas stand on the side of one man who doesn’t deserve to be the Menteri Besar of Selangor after having lost his majority support and membership of a political party? Or will it stand up for the voters of Selangor who supported Pas, DAP and Keadilan for a change of government in the 13th general election?
All those who contributed to this change of government worked tirelessly, took certain risks and sacrificed their time and money to bring about this change. Can Pas afford to betray the trust of these people?
Pas must speak up now in the defence of justice. It is said, “A time comes when silence is betrayal.”
P Ramakrishnan
Aliran executive committee member
13 August 2014
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
PAS fiddles while Selangor burn !!