The Selangor Menteri Besar today appeared to back down when he said the state exco would reconsider its decision to remove Azmin Ali (pic) from the PKNS board of directors, barely hours after opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had said the state PKR chief should remain on it.
In a statement, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the state government was aware of Anwar's support for Azmin.
"In view of Anwar's position and stature, my fellow state exco members will consider his request before making a final decision on whether Azmin remained on the PKNS board," Abdul Khalid said.
However, Abdul Khalid pointed out that he and his exco members were bound by the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) Enactment 1964.
"Hence, we have the responsibility to correct any flaw or mishandling of actions related to this matter," he said.
Abdul Khalid said he would be meeting PKNS general manager Othman Omar and the company secretary to get an explanation how this situation had occurred in the first place.
"Until a final decision has been reached, the position of affected members of the PKNS board will remain status quo to avoid further legal complications," Abdul Khalid said.
He called for the public to remain calm over the issue as it was not a matter of public urgency.
Earlier today, Anwar told a press conference at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat headquarters in Tropicana that he was backing Azmin to remain on the PKNS board.
"Azmin's removal is invalid as proper procedure has not been followed," claimed Anwar, adding that Othman did not have the authority to remove any board members, as Abdul Khalid had claimed earlier.
Azmin, the Selangor PKR chief, received a letter on January 8 informing him that he had been removed from the PKNS board.
"Since the decision to remove Azmin can only be made by Abdul Khalid and the state exco, he remains a board member," Anwar said.
He said the episode had arisen due to confusion between the board and state government.
Earlier in the morning, PKNS had issued a statement claiming the decision to remove Azmin had been made by the state government.
However, this contradicted Abdul Khalid's earlier claims that Othman had been responsible for removing Azmin from the PKNS board.
Azmin and Abdul Khalid have long been at loggerheads over various issues, including the latter's appointment as Selangor menteri besar for a second term.
As the head of Selangor PKR, Azmin did not take kindly to Khalid's reappointment.
However, PKR's hands are tied as both PAS and DAP have 15 seats each in the state assembly and they wanted to retain Khalid.
Azmin was also miffed when the PKR central leadership did not discuss the appointment of the Selangor menteri besar with the state party division.
As a result, the chaotic relationship between the Selangor government under Khalid's stewardship and state PKR under Azmin worsened.
Azmin has been a fierce critic of Khalid's administration for not spending enough on development in the state.
He criticised Khalid for focusing more on operating expenses, including a pay rise for Selangor assemblymen announced last year, instead of development. - January 16, 2014.
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