Selangor Palace says law was followed, refutes Dr Idris’ statement on MB appointment

PETALING JAYA: The Selangor palace has refuted allegations by Ijok assemblyman Dr Idris Ahmad (pic) that he was Pakatan Harapan’s chosen candidate for Mentri Besar.

In a statement to address the questions surrounding the appointment of Amirudin Shari as the new Selangor Mentri Besar, the palace said Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had followed all legal provisions and conventions in the appointment process.

“On June 7, the Sultan had received a letter from PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, in which three state assemblymen were nominated for consideration as the new Mentri Besar.

“In the letter, Dr Wan Azizah had asked for His Royal Highness to grant an audience to any of the candidates that he felt was eligible to hold the position.

“The letter indirectly cancels out a previous letter written by the heads of Selangor political parties to the Sultan,” said the statement.

The palace added that after a thorough review, and obtaining the opinion of former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, His Majesty had chosen Amirudin Shari, the Sungai Tua assemblyman, as Azmin’s successor.

It added that the Ruler had discretionary powers in the appointment of a Mentri Besar, as provided in Articles 51 and 53 of the Selangor State Constitution 1959.

“For the record, the Sultan is cognisant of the provisions under the law, where he must appoint as Mentri Besar a state assemblyman whom he believes has the majority support in the state assembly, as well as being of Malay Muslim descent,” it said.

The palace also addressed Dr Idris’ claim that Azmin’s reappointment as Mentri Besar on May 11 this year, before he took a Cabinet position, was also not approved by Pakatan.

“Before Azmin was appointed, the party presidents of PKR, Amanah and Pribumi, as well as the DAP secretary-general, had sent a letter to the Sultan to nominate Azmin as Mentri Besar.

“The nomination was done based on the fact that Azmin had been the previous Mentri Besar and had discharged his duties with dedication, as well as driven Pakatan to win more seats compared to the previous election.

“The palace always abides by the rule of law and convention in any action, and does not involve itself in political issues,” the statement read.