Wan Azizah as Selangor MB?

KUALA LUMPUR: Will Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the newly-elected Kajang assemblyman, be the next Selangor mentri besar?
Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hinted that discussion on the matter is possible, while current Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim seems unperturbed by the speculation.
Speaking to reporters when met at Parliament lobby yesterday, Anwar did not rule out the possibility of a discussion being held on choosing his wife, Wan Azizah, as the new Selangor mentri besar.
Without stating the matter directly, Anwar said it would be discussed at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Selangor leadership level first.
“The matter would be discussed by them at the state leadership level. Wan Azizah’s programme today is still in Kajang.
“The Kajang move is still being continued where Wan Azizah has now won there,” he said.
Khalid, while congratulating Wan Azizah on her victory, seems to think the architects of the “Kajang move” have failed in their attempt to replace him as Selangor mentri besar.
It is no secret that PKR president Wan Azizah is a strong ally of Khalid, unlike her husband who backs Khalid’s arch rival, party deputy president Azmin Ali.
And with her in the state assembly, Khalid’s position seems that much more tenable now.
Wan Azizah won the Kajang state seat with a majority of 5,379 votes against Barisan Nasional’s MCA candidate, Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun on Sunday.
The by-election was held following the resignation of its former state assemblyman, PKR’s Lee Chin Cheh, which is said to be a move to allow Anwar to be the next mentri besar of Selangor.
Anwar, who was to contest, was replaced by Wan Azizah after being convicted and sentenced to a five-year jail term by the Appeals Court on March 7.