KHALID – AZMIN SPAT – ANWAR WILL NOT INTERFERE, SAYS SOURCE

KHALID – AZMIN SPAT – ANWAR WILL NOT INTERFERE, SAYS SOURCE

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s spat with PartiKeadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Azmin Ali is expected to continue until both get tired and stop on their own steam.

Words have it that party de facto chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is not going to interfere and take sides although the expectation is that he would be on Azmin’s side and ensure that Khalid steps down and make way.

Party insiders said Anwar had all along been in favour of Azmin and if he had got his way from the beginning in 2008 or the latest in May this, but due to several factors which he could not overcome, he would now just ‘let the rift between Khalid and Azmin stop on its own.’

They said it is a known fact that party president Datin Seri Wan Azizah Ismail called the shots in Khalid’s appointment as MentriBesar and Azmin, despite being the deputy president elected by party delegates, was and is still just second fiddle to the president’s authority.

“Moreover, in Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR), Khalid is loved by the DAP and PAS assemblymen and MPs for his corporate ways which in a way seems to put aside Malay interests and religious focus.

“The priority is in running the state as a business concern, devoid of political diversion on racial priority.

“So on this score, it is quite difficult for Anwar to convince his DAP and PAS partners to push Khalid out of his MentriBesar seat just for the sake of Azmin.

“Secondly is the issue with the Selangor Palace where it is also everybody’s knowledge that the Sultan is not comfortable with Azmin.

“Anwar will face a great difficulty in trying to get the Sultan to consent to a change of MentriBesar from a person the Palace is comfortable with to a person who the Palace is very much not comfortable.

“Last is of course, internal favour – between Anwar and his wife – which also everybody knows where Azizah is not comfortable at all with Azmin.

“Given this three factors, it is very unlikely that Anwar will intervene despite his dislike towards Khalid,” said an inside source.

The source said Anwar would just let time solve the spat between the two PKR leaders and both seemed to know the outcome – Khalid stays as MentriBesar and Azmin as an assemblyman and PKR Selangor chief.

The source added Azmin had wanted to play bigger role such as a position in MentriBesar Incorporated but Khalid would not allow this as Azmin would have more influence if given such a chance.

“I do not know why Umno Selangor or Umno is not acting now to influence Azmin to jump ship or something like that because the scenario is just suitable for a political charge from Umno to split PKR,” he said.