Khalid loses in musical chairs

The reshuffling of top party posts in Selangor and Federal Territory is aimed at striking compromises but it is also like a game of musical chairs with Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim left without a chair.

SOME said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was still suffering from jet lag when he turned up on the final day of the PKR retreat. He had just returned last night from another of his networking trip in the United States. But jet lag or not, he was forced to make drastic changes in response to the leadership crisis in Selangor. Drastic was perhaps an understatement given the way some jaws dropped when he announced that vice-president Azmin Ali had replaced Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as Selangor PKR chief.

Division of labour would be the polite way of describing it but basically, Khalid, who is the Mentri Besar, has been stripped of a very important chunk of power in the party. Selangor is a frontline state and Azmin is set to play a prominent role in Selangor where he is Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman.

He is also Gombak MP. Some see it as a pragmatic compromise between the factions aligned to Azmin and Khalid. Others see it as divide-and-rule politics. But it basically means Selangor will now have two generals – one commanding the state government and the other commanding the state party machinery.

Outwardly, it looks ideal because Khalid is a poor politician but enjoys public support as the Mentri Besar whereas Azmin is a political animal and has proven himself as an organiser. The arrangement would be ideal if the two generals are allies. But Azmin and Khalid have not been able to see eye-to-eye since the March elections and there are doubts that the two will be able to work together to impress upon voters that PKR has what it takes to capture Putrajaya. Or as one party insider put it: “Suddenly, there are two centres of power in Selangor. Someone has lost the plot here.” Anwar is aware of the potential tensions and has also announced that he would have weekly meetings with Khalid, Azmin, vice-president R. Sivarasa and treasurer William Leong on party issues in Selangor.

It is obvious that Anwar is trying to soothe feathers and strike a compromise solution to the rivalry between Khalid and Azmin. He does not want to be taking sides between the two men whom he needs for what they can individually bring to the party. He seems to be applying the same principle in replacing Azmin with former Umno minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim as Federal Territory chief. Both Zaid and Azmin have their own spheres of influence in the party and they are known to be eyeing the deputy president’s post in the party elections due at the end of the year. This way, both men and their supporters cannot accuse Anwar of playing favourites come the party polls. One PKR supreme council member described the changes as a game of musical chairs except that Khalid ended up minus a chair. Anwar was also supposed to name Chua Jui Meng as the new Johor chief but decided to wait till the next political bureau meeting. No one objected to the changes except Azmin who said his Selangor appointment made him look bad, as though he was taking it away from Khalid. He counter-proposed state deputy chief Syed Shahir Mohamud for the post but Anwar overruled him. Khalid took the changes well, outwardly, at least. However, those at the meeting said he seemed jovial despite criticism over his leadership and even told a football joke during discussions. If Khalid had lost face because of the changes, then Azmin was also damaged by politicking.

Throughout the brouhaha, it was very clear that even those who are against Khalid could not accept the idea of Azmin taking over as Mentri Besar. He has made too many enemies in the party over the years. Anwar insisted that these changes were aimed at strengthening the party for the next general election. But some in the party think this is also Anwar’s way of levelling the playing field for the party elections. Some are saying it may not necessarily be a two-way fight between Azmin and Zaid but that Khalid may join the fray.

Anwar asked those present to close ranks and bring the Khalid issue to a close. He said he was aware that people had complained that he was too soft-hearted, too forgiving and even too inclusive. “People accuse me of not having the killer instinct. Well, not anymore,” he told the meeting.