CARETAKER Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari has stated his desire to remain in charge of the state government if the Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition manages to secure victory in next month’s state election.
The Selangor PH chairman asserted that his desire is fuelled by a desire to carry out the state’s numerous development objectives for the sustainability of its economy and the welfare of its people.
“Although the plans are a team effort, I believe I have a duty to complete and discharge the plans promised to the people, especially under the First Selangor Plan (RS-1).
“This wish is in line with my commitment to defend the Sungai Tua state seat in the upcoming elections, of which I am the incumbent now,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
The RS-1, which is projected to help the state achieve greater heights within five years, was unveiled on July 27 by the PKR vice-president.
Amirudin said under the RS-1, Selangor aimed to contribute 30% to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025 with Selangor currently contributing 24.8% to the national GDP.
The Gombak MP added that the RS-1 was committed to improving the lives of the residents of the state without relying mostly on federal planning and handouts.
Amirudin continued by saying that the five-year plan pays special attention to economic growth, empowering the people through welfare programmes, sustainable development, and ensuring a capable, transparent, and efficient government delivery system.
Additionally, the incumbent Sungai Dua state assemblyman denied allegations that he would transition from his position as Menteri Besar to a federal minister after the state elections.
“There is a lot of talk out there…some saying I will be transferred to the federal, from Menteri Besar to Cabinet minister, but Selangor PH is keen to retain me as Menteri Besar.
“So far, there has been no plan to change my role in the discussions with PH chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” he said, stressing that as a party member, he will abide by any decision made by the party leadership.
Meanwhile, Amirudin also slammed Perikatan Nasional (PN) for not naming a menteri besar candidate despite some of their leaders – including caretaker Bukit Antarabangsa state assemblyperson Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali – aggressively portraying themselves as “champions of the Selangor people”.
Amirudin said this showed that PN has no confidence in the former Gombak MP, even though its chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had previously announced that Bersatu would take up the Menteri Besar post if PN, which includes PAS and Gerakan, wins at the state polls.
“People are still guessing who their Menteri Besar candidate would be. I know that PAS is also eyeing the position and their grassroots believe a PAS candidate would be better qualified,” he said.
Amirudin was sworn in as Selangor Menteri Besar by Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, on June 19, 2018 after Azmin had relinquished the post to become the economic affairs minister.
In a separate matter, the PKR leadership is expected to finalise the Selangor candidates list for the 20 seats the party will be contesting by the end of this week.
“The nomination letters will then be given out to the selected candidates the following week,” a PKR insider was quoted as saying by The Star.
According to the source, PKR will contest in 20 Selangor constituencies rather than 21 constituencies in the 2018 polls with the Kota Damansara state constituency seat, which PKR held, will be given to UMNO.
The fate of incumbent Kota Damansara state assemblyman Shatiri Mansor remains unknown whether he will be sent to another constituency or dropped.
In order to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the incumbents and the constituencies, it appeared that all of the seats under PKR were currently being audited.
The source claimed that this was in line with Amirudin’s demand that all of the Selangor PKR party candidates running in the next state elections must be victorious.
All of the incumbents in the DAP are expected to be re-elected, with the exception of one or two.
For example, incumbent Dusun Tua state assemblyman Edry Faizal Eddy Yusof would be replaced by another Malay DAP candidate. – July 11, 2023
Main pic credit: Facebook/Amirudin Shari
