Report: Perikatan to name Azmin as ‘poster boy’ in Selangor poll, but faces resistance from PAS
KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) is attempting to name former menteri besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali as its “poster boy” for the Selangor state election, according to a report today.
Utusan Malaysia quoted an unnamed senior aide to Azmin saying the coalition wishes to have Azmin as its menteri besar candidate, but is facing opposition from its component PAS.
“So far, Selangor PAS has not welcomed the proposal saying that Azmin’s past record will be a weakness for PN to win. That is the main problem,” the source told the Malay daily.
Azmin, formerly PKR’s deputy president, was the Selangor menteri besar under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) state government from September 2014 to June 2018. He was later made the economic affairs minister in Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s administration.
However, Azmin left PKR in 2020 following a political crisis popularly dubbed as the “Sheraton Move” that saw the fall of the PH federal government.
The aide PN has still not revealed its Selangor menteri besar candidate due to the resistance against naming Azmin from the Islamist party.
“That’s why until today, we have not revealed [the Selangor menteri besar candidate] to the public because we don’t want it to be used as a weapon by our opponents,” said the aide.
Selangor PAS is led by Sijangkang assemblyman Datuk Ahmad Yunus Hairi.
On Saturday, it was reported that Muhyiddin, as PN chairman, said there was no need to announce the coalition’s menteri besar candidate for Selangor at this time.
He explained that PN has already identified certain candidates and will make the announcement if the coalition manages to secure Selangor in the coming state polls.
Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah today consented to the dissolution of the Selangor State Assembly effective Friday to pave the way for state elections to be held.
Earlier, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari had an audience with the Sultan of Selangor to seek His Highness’ consent to dissolve the state assembly.
