Malaccan: Kudos to PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for her magnanimity and her personal and public integrity.On her own merits, she is an equal to her husband in the nation’s honour roll of great statesmen. She has gained tremendous respect for her patience and honourable conduct in the face of years of crippling challenges and calumny from friends and foes alike, and even from national institutions like the palace and the courts.

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali has been a patient and party loyalist and he deserves a chance at the MBship to test his mettle to take Pakatan Rakyat one more step forward. It is also right and proper that PKR’s viewpoint on the palace’s actions be recorded into prosperity so that no wrong lesson will be learned from this episode.

Former MB Khalid Ibrahim’s final action (in sacking PKR de factoleader Anwar Ibrahim as the state economic adviser and closing down his office) merely confirms his and his coterie’s pettiness and unsuitability for high office; and stands together as the last act of betrayal and dishonour with the connivance of the PAS exco members.

Let such acts not be rewarded in Azmin’s exco line-up but rather let the line-up be the very best in integrity.

Disgusted: Just as the old MB had power to close down Anwar’s office, now the power is in the hands of the new MB to reopen it. So no loss if Azmin does that. It is merely a pyrrhic victory for the poor loser.

Negarawan: While the Selangor MB crisis has brought up many serious questions about the impartiality and legality of the palace, the episode has also brought up the best in PKR and DAP.

It was truly an acid test for both, testing its cohesiveness and ability to work as a team to overcome the onslaught by Umno, PAS, and the palace. The professionalism and magnanimity of Azmin towards Anwar and Azizah, were returned to him by the couple through their blessing of his MBship.

On the other hand, PAS has revealed its true colours as an Umno crony, a racist/extremist against non-Muslims, and an ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) supporter, certainly not befitting to remain in Pakatan.

PAS will be a thorn in the flesh as long as it remains in Pakatan, and will cost Pakatan dearly in the coming GE. PKR and DAP must dissociate itself from PAS as soon as possible. Hopefully the ‘deputy’ MB will not be from PAS as this will create problems for Azmin.

Selangorians and Malaysians hope to see Azmin do a good job and repair the damage done by Khalid/PAS/Umno.

David Dass: This is not a perfect outcome, but a solution to a difficult problem nonetheless. Azizah was gracious enough to withdraw her candidacy even though she was the candidate who enjoyed the confidence of the majority of state assemblypersons.

Two questions remain. One constitutional and the future of PKR.

The first pertains to the powers of the ruler. Can HRH (His Royal Highness) override the will of the majority? What would happen if in the course of the next few weeks a vote of no confidence is taken by a majority of the assemblypersons against Azmin? How will the courts decide?

The answer to this would interest all but hopefully it will not have to be answered. In the meantime, lawyers and legal academics will continue to have their views on this matter.

The second relates to the future of PKR and PAS’ decision not to support the PKR candidate who enjoyed the confidence of the majority and to instead nominate its own candidates.

Will the coalition hold? PKR looks battered. Will the public continue to support PKR?

Abasir: Here are some unsolicited advice for Azmin: Always remember that you work for all the citizens in Selangor – stick that on the wall in your new office.

Beware that every Selangor MB from Harun Idris to Khalid Ibrahim has been indelibly stained by some personal scandal or other and that you might follow suit if you allow the office (and sycophants) to get to your head.

Don’t get into bed with political prostitutes (turbaned or songkoked) regardless of how good it feels at that moment; never forget that Umno will be plotting against you every minute of the day to bring you and your government down.

Be paranoid if you have to be; ensure that the impact of your leadership is felt positively on the ordinary lives of all citizens, not just your immediate supporters.

Make Selangor the showcase of PKR just as Penang has been transformed by DAP; and finally, listen to the people for they are always communicating through whatever means they have.

Proarte: If Pakatan leaders themselves do not adhere strictly to constitutional law, then it is only a matter of time that they will become the mirror image of BN. Having said that, given the reality of misrule in Malaysia which has resulted in Azmin being appointed as MB, he would have the opportunity to redress the assault on our democracy.

He must accept the position only on condition that he puts his support to the test in a free vote in the State Assembly. If PKR and DAP who gave unanimous support to Azizah as the sole candidate now are happy to support Azmin then he will clearly be in a commanding position given support from PAS and even perhaps Umno.

Azmin being legitimised by the State Assembly would help restore credibility and respect for the constitution. It would also be seen as a win-win situation where the sultan’s choice is also the rakyat’s choice by virtue of Azmin having majority support.

I now come to the uncomfortable position of having to agree with former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad that appointing Azmin would avoid a protracted political conflict.

By insisting on having Azizah as MB, Pakatan stands to lose the most and the result could be that Selangor may fall to BN.

If Azizah was the only suitable candidate for the post, then it would be worth fighting to the bitter end but let us be honest, Azizah is not a natural politician and was only to happy to give up the Permatang Pauh seat for her husband Anwar in order to spend more time with her grandchildren and to bake banana cake.

She has always acted as a proxy for her husband as evidenced by her stepping in again in the ‘Kajang Move’ when Anwar was no longer eligible to contest because of his lightning speed conviction for sodomy by the appellate court.

Speaking Sense: Azizah has been unjustly penalised purely because she happens to be the wife of Anwar. It is blatant hypocrisy for PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali to wish for Pakatan to remain strong since his party has done all it could to damage Pakatan in this unsavoury saga.

But the real question now is – what happens to the constitution now when it seems as though it can be set aside to serve political and personal preferences?

Oracle: Years ago, when Mahathir was busy meddling with the constitution, there was this joke – “I went to a bookshop to buy a copy of the constitution, but the salesperson said sorry sir, we don’t stock periodicals”. Now the reality.

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