22 August 2014

Calon MB - Azizah pilihan utama...



Tinjauan calon MB: Wan Azizah pertama, UMNO kedua...

Presiden PKR, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail menjadi calon pilihan utama untuk mengisi jawatan menteri Besar Selangor, demikian menurut hasil kajiselidik Merdeka Center.

Manakala hanya enam peratus responden yang mahukan calon alternatif, Timbalan Presiden PKR Azmin Ali, menerajui negeri itu, diikuti oleh calon PAS yang mendapat 12 peratus.

Yang menariknya, 15 peratus daripada responden lebih suka menteri besar dari Umno berbanding dengan Azmin, ataupun calon PAS.

Dalam kajiselidik membabitkan 808 pengundi di Selangor, 25 peratus daripada responden berkata mereka mahu Wan Azizah menjadi menteri besar.

Bagaimanapun, 32 peratus lagi tidak pasti siapa yang mereka mahu untuk menggantikan Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

Manakala baki lima peratus enggan memberi respons. 



PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is the most preferred candidate to become the next Selangor menteri besar, according to a Merdeka Center survey.

The alternative candidate, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, fared the worst with only six percent wanting him as the state's chief executive, followed by a PAS menteri besar candidate with 12 percent in favour of such an option.

Interestingly, 15 percent of the respondents preferred a menteri besar from Umno compared with Azmin, or even a PAS candidate.

In the poll of 808 voters in Selangor, 25 percent of respondents said they wanted Wan Azizah (left) as menteri besar.

However, a larger number, at 32 percent, were unsure about who they would want to replace embattled Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

The remaining five percent declined to respond.


The survey comes amid an expected meeting next week between embattled Khalid, who has lost the state assembly’s confidence, and the Selangor sultan, on his fate.

PKR, which has found it difficult to work with Khalid, is pushing for Wan Azizah as his replacement and is backed by DAP, amid reluctance from PAS despite officially endorsing her.

PAS had also proposed Azmin as an alternative candidate but its partners has been insistent on Wan Azizah.

'Majority back Pakatan in fresh polls'

The survey, conducted between Aug 11 to 17, showed the Selangor crisis led to a drop in perception towards the Pakatan Rakyat state government.

It found that 46 percent of respondents had a positive view of the state’s direction, down 18 percent from 64 percent in March.

In terms of breakdown, 10 percent strongly believed the state was in the right direction while 36 percent thought the state is somewhat in the right direction.

In contrast, 14 percent strongly believe the state was in the wrong direction followed by 25 percent who think the state is somewhat in the wrong direction.

Fourteen percent more were unsure, while one percent refused to give an answer.

The respondents comprised 50 percent Malay, 34 percent Chinese and 16 percent Indian.

Despite this, a majority of Selangorians - 57 percent - thought Pakatan Rakyat should be given a second chance if fresh state elections were to be held.

Specifically, 21 percent strongly agreed to give Pakatan another chance while 36 percent more somewhat agreed to the proposal.

However, 29 percent said Pakatan should not be given a second chance, with 17 percent who were strongly in favour of such a stance and 12 percent more somewhat in agreement.

Thirteen percent said they did not know, while the remaining two percent declined to answer.



‘Water crisis still top’

More voters were also confident in Pakatan to continue leading the state at 43 percent compared BN which only received 28 percent support.

Thirteen percent said whichever party did not matter, 12 percent were unsure an three percent refused to state preference.

The numbers will be a barometer for Pakatan amid speculations that Khalid may seek the House’s dissolution when he meets the sultan.

Interestingly, despite the Selangor political crisis headlines, the state’s water crisis still triumphs.

Top on Selangor voters’ minds is the water issue (21 percent) followed by the Selangor menteri besar crisis (20 percent), political instability in general (six percent), crime and public safety (four percent) and traffic congestion (three percent).

The other issues are cleanliness and garbage (three percent), internal issues in parties (three percent), public infrastructure (two percent) and influx of illegal immigrants (two percent).

The problems plaguing the states aside, a plurality of Selangor voters still think that things are better off than when BN ruled the state until 2008.

Forty-six percent of Selangor voters said they were better off, compared to 15 percent who said they were worse off.

Thirty-six percent said things were the same and three percent are unsure.- mk

PKR kemuka calon kedua jika istana tolak Wan Azizah 

Wan Azizah still awaiting reply from sultan...

Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is still awaiting a reply from the sultan as to whether she would be granted an audience with the ruler.

Speaking to Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview today, Dr Wan Azizah said the palace has confirmed receipt of the request.

"At the moment, Datuk (Mohamad) Munir (Bani) says the request has been sent to him (the ruler) and we wait for the answer," she said, referring to Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah's private secretary.

This is Wan Azizah's second request for an audience with the sultan on the ongoing menteri besar crisis.

Her first request, made on her behalf by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, was rejected as the sultan said he had already heard about the matter from sitting Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

The sultan has cut short his trip overseas and is expected to return tomorrow.

It is understood that Khalid could have an audience with the ruler as early as Tuesday, fuelling speculations of a possible dissolution of the assembly and a snap poll.

PAS has revealed that its president Abdul Hadi Awang had an audience with the sultan more than three weeks ago, on July 31.

While the details of the meeting is not revealed, PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kaiat said that it had led to PAS nominating both Wan Azizah and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali for the post.

Hadi's office later clarified that Azmin's name did not crop up during the audience, but Suhaizan had said that a second name was nominated in case of "eventualities between Wan Azizah and the palace".

Hadi's audience with sultan

Speaking at her sparsely-decorated office, Wan Azizah said that Pakatan Rakyat only found out about Hadi's audience "later", albeit before it hit headlines last week.

However, she believes that the PAS leader was not "hiding" it from the coalition.

Rather, she said, the audience happened during the Hari Raya break and was likely linked to the festivities.

“I think he met the sultan on the third or fourth day of (the Islamic month of) Syawal, so it was probably a (Hari) Raya meeting. Sometimes when you meet for Raya, you don’t have to tell.”

Asked if Hadi had briefed Pakatan on his audience with the sultan, she said that “maybe” Hadi told PKR de facto leader Anwar “as they (Pakatan leaders) deal with him, rather than with me”.

She also hinted that gender could be a factor in this, saying that when Hadi took over as president and Anwar got out of prison in 2004, she left it “to the men” to deal with the matter.

“He (Hadi), being a tok guru (revered scholar), I felt men will get it sorted out. But I suppose there are things that Ustaz Hadi figured... are to be and certain things are not to be,” she said, not going into specifics.

PAS’ revelation about Hadi’s audience with the sultan has given rise to speculation that the palace may not be keen on Wan Azizah.

Wan Azizah says that this is “touted by people” and “people can say what they want to say”.

“That is what the people have been talking about. They say Tuanku like this, Tuanku like that. I am waiting for an audience with him,” she said.

When speaking about being MB, the Kajang assemblyperson couches her sentences with word “if”.

Asked what hurdles she may face to become MB, Wan Azizah said that the ruler has his "preferences" for who will be the state's head of government.

However, when asked to clarify, Wan Azizah said, it would be better to give Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah the “benefit of the doubt” and not to second guess his position on the on-going menteri besar crisis.

“Well in our state, we have a ruler of the state. Tuanku is there, and he is a very educated ruler of the state. He does have some preferences, I suppose.

“The constitution says the leader of the majority will lead the state. I think that will weigh heavily on the Tuanku to consider.”

Pakatan’s Plan B

So what is the ‘Plan B’, if indeed what PAS is implying - that the sultan is not keen on Wan Azizah for reasons yet unknown - becomes true?

“Oh, then we have to go back to the party,” Wan Azizah said.

Candidates can only come from PKR, with PAS declining the seat and DAP not qualified as it has no Selangor assemblyperson who is Muslim and Malay - a requirement for an MB under the Selangor state constitution.

But will it be Azmin, the Selangor PKR chief who has served the party and as aide to Anwar for decades? Or will he be surpassed yet again?

Despite being leader of the Selangor backbenchers’ club, Azmin has never figured in PKR plans as the next menteri besar, making it necessary for the Kajang seat to be vacated to allow Anwar passage to replace Khalid.

Anwar’s sodomy conviction put a spanner in the works, and today, his wife’s chances to succeed Khalid appear to be in the hands of the palace.

Will Azmin finally be named if the palace takes a dim view of Wan Azizah?

“We go back to the Pakatan leadership to choose then,” she said.- mk


Despite MB impasse, poll shows PR retains support in Selangor 

Kira-kira 400 orang berkumpul di bangunan Komtar untuk bertafakur untuk menghormati mangsa nahas MH17 hari ini. – Gambar The Malaysian Insider oleh Hasnoor Hussain, 22 Ogos, 2014.


cheers.

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