PETALING JAYA: The Sultan of Selangor’s praise for former menteri besar Khalid Ibrahim may signal the palace’s displeasure with the current state administration led by Azmin Ali, says the Selangor Barisan Nasional’s (BN) deputy chairman.
Mat Nadzari Ahmad Dahlan said Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah’s remarks could be interpreted to mean the palace disliked the politics of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) state government, including the way Khalid was ousted from the menteri besar’s post in 2014.
“Khalid was seen as more loyal (to the state ruler) when he held the ‘lembing sang buana’ (the traditional lance symbolising the menteri besar’s post).
“Azmin is more identified with the principles of John Locke (an English philosopher known for his liberal views), and sees everyone as equal. This does not fit in with the concept of constitutional monarchy that we practise,” he told FMT.
Mat Nadzari was commenting on a newspaper interview in which the sultan praised the loyalty of Khalid and expressed his surprise that the former menteri besar was “kicked out” three years ago.
“I could not believe what was happening especially to Khalid. He was so loyal and suddenly he was kicked out.
“Maybe there was a hidden agenda, maybe I am not a politician and that is the kind of thing I do not understand,” he said in the interview carried in The Star in conjunction with his 72nd birthday.
Sultan Sharafuddin described the removal of Khalid as the most challenging episode in Selangor politics.
Khalid left Umno for PKR around 2000, and was appointed Selangor menteri besar after the opposition Pakatan Rakyat, the predecessor of PH, captured the state in the 2008 general election.
However, he fell out with the PKR leadership, was expelled from the party and then forced to quit as menteri besar in August 2014. -FMT
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