PAS agenda in supporting Khalid

PETALING JAYA: Remarks by some PAS leaders that Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim is welcome to join the party has given rise to speculation that it has an agenda – to grab the mentri besar post and take control of the country's most advanced and richest state.
According to a report in China Press yesterday, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) sacked Khalid to deprive PAS of a valid reason to continue supporting him as mentri besar but to support PKR chief Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for the job instead.
But contrary to PKR's expectation, this has given PAS the chance it wanted to rope in the now-independent Khalid.
"Once Khalid joins PAS, the party will have 16 state assemblymen in the state and can team up with Umno to form the new state government with a simple majority.
Any crossover of PKR representatives aligned to Khalid would further strengthen the new coalition," a source told the daily.
The source said even if Khalid does not join PAS, he can become a PAS-friendly independent and be a "PAS MB or sorts".
"The state government has some time ago said it would explore the feasibility of turning Shah Alam into an Islamic City. This is enough to show that PAS and PKR intend to eventually achieve this objective."
The source said whatever means Khalid adopts to endear himself to PAS may cause the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to split, but ironically this will be Khalid's only way to keep his mentri besar post until the next general election.
"There are two distinct voices within PAS over the Selangor mentri besar issue.
"If the more conservative camp led by ulama insists on accepting Khalid into the party, while the more 'open' camp is adamant in siding with PKR and DAP, not only will PR face breaking up, PAS too will risk a split within the party," said the source.