A Kadir Jasin, who once helmed the New Straits Times Press, said the elected representatives had no choice now but to follow PAS’s decision to stop its political cooperation with PKR.
“The way is to leave PAS and become independent assemblymen,” he said in his blog posting.
The better option, Kadir said, would be for them to join one of the Pakatan Harapan component parties in the Selangor government.
“They can join PKR, or their previous comrades now in Amanah,” he added.
Another possibility, although remote, he said was to declare that Selangor PAS was free from the federal PAS leadership, like the Congress Party of India which has both central and state entities.
Kadir, who is now a supreme council member of PPBM, said Azmin had paved the way for these possibilities when it was reported that PAS assemblymen could remain as part of his administration, in line with the 2013 mandate obtained from voters in the state.
He said, in this way, the three PAS members could also remain as executive councillors in Azmin’s administration.
It was reported last Saturday that Azmin had asked the three exco members — Iskandar Samad, Ahmad Yunus Hairi and Zaidy Abdul Talib — to step down from their posts.
According to a report in The Star Online, the menteri besar made the stunning request during a meeting with the trio and new state PAS commissioner Sallehen Mukhyi on Friday.
However, Azmin had apparently assured the PAS exco members that the Islamist party could still remain as part of the state administration in line with the mandate won in the 2013 general election.
Azmin said PAS representatives would remain as municipal councillors and sit on village committees and also continue to enjoy state development allocations.
However, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said he had met the three exco members and had learned that they had received no instruction from Azmin to give up their posts.
He and secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the three exco members would remain in Azmin’s administration as long as there was no decree from Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah to vacate their positions.
In response, retired Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram said Azmin had the exclusive right to reshuffle his state executive council.
“In so doing, he can drop the current exco members and appoint new ones,” he told FMT.
Sri Ram said the political chief executive, at the federal or state level, could recommend to the head of his state to appoint anyone of his choice.
“The exco members are chosen by the menteri besar of Selangor as he is entitled to decide who he can work with,” he said.
The PAS Syura Council, the party’s highest policy-making body, had, on Thursday, endorsed the decision of the PAS muktamar to end political cooperation with PKR.
The DAP has 14 assemblymen, PKR 13, PAS 13, Amanah two, and the BN 11. There are also two Independents. One seat is vacant following the death of Sungai Ayer Tawar assemblyman Kamarol Zaki Abdul Halim from the BN.