PKR's next move to oust Khalid with report

PKR will explain to top Pakatan Rakyat leaders its reasons for removing Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, following the political imbroglio and the fallout from the long-drawn crisis.

The 50-plus-page report, which also addressed questions of the integrity of the two-term MB, will be distributed tomorrow, said PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Among others, the note touched on Khalid's RM66.67 million debt settlement with Bank Islam, which was settled out of court, as well as sale of land to developer Eco World at below-market rate.

Saifuddin said the issues have raised doubts over Khalid's integrity, adding that the party leadership found there was a need to explain their stand.

"I hope the note will help form a clearer picture as all along we assumed everyone understood the reasons and the background why we wanted to replace Khalid," he told reporters at the PKR headquarters today.

He was earlier asked about the outcome of his meeting with PAS leaders during Hari Raya last week.

PKR initiated the "Kajang move" to replace Khalid with its president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail after numerous complaints against the former corporate captain for running the state unilaterally without consulting party leaders as well as the Pakatan leadership.

Khalid, meanwhile, has resisted all attempts to remove him, and said he would remain as MB until the end of this term.

Elaborating on the land deal, Saifuddin said it took place a month after Khalid reached an out-of-court settlement with Bank Islam.

"We found there were developments that strenghtened our doubts involving business dealings amounting to hundreds of million of ringgit which profited Eco World Berhad, a company controlled by Tan Sri Rashid Manaf," he said.

In insisting that Wan Azizah is the only candidate considered to replace Khalid, Saifuddin (left) said the MB had not given satisfactory answers on the "dubious" dealings, and this in turn, raised questions about his integrity, he said.

"The onus is on him to explain to us. We have asked him to appear but we still have yet to get satisfactory answers. So, we have reached a stage where we need this to be explained thoroughly," he said.

He said the party had tried to deal with Khalid using its existing channel, and getting him to step down is one of the ways.

Asked whether Khalid will be sacked if he insisted on remaining, Saifuddin said the party is looking at all scenarios.

However, he said the issue of sacking Khalid was not raised at the party's powerful political bureau meeting last night, of which Khalid is a member.

In last night's meeting, the bureau upheld the party's decision to nominate only Wan Azizah for the MB post to replace Khalid.

Saifuddin said Khalid had not attended the meeting last night, adding that since 2010, he had only attended 42 of the bureau's 136 meetings.

He acknowledged that the current problem had affected support for the party and the Pakatan coalition, but expressed confidence that they can regain it back.

On another matter, Saifuddin said the PKR congress will be held from August 22 to 24 at Stadium Melawati in Shah Alam, to be attended by 3,740 delegates, as well as Pakatan leaders, diplomats, observers and members of non-governmental organisations.

The Selangor MB crisis came to a head when PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang threw his support behind Khalid. Hadi's stand was supported by the Islamist party's influential spiritual leader, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat and the its ulama wing.

Talks of an imminent split in Pakatan gained ground when the screenshot of a leaked Whatsapp conversation went viral last week, showing PAS member Dr Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki's statement on teaming up with rival Umno to form a simple majority government and at the same time, retain Khalid as MB.

M Insider