SELAYANG: Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari has dismissed talk that Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz is tipped to take over his position as Selangor Mentri Besar.
He said that he recently had a friendly exchange with Tengku Zafrul before the latter departed for Mecca.
“He asked if I had any doa (prayers) to send with him. I told him, ‘Pray that I remain in Selangor’,” Amirudin said at an event yesterday.
Amirudin, who is also the Selangor PKR chief, said the talk was far-fetched due to the complexity of the processes involved within a short time frame.
“In my view, it’s rather long and complicated. I don’t think that Tengku Zafrul vying for the Mentri Besar post is feasible because it would require a by-election,” he said.
“We only have about two-and-a-half years left in this term, so there’s not much that can be re-organised within that time frame.
“We’ll have to wait and see how things develop,” added Amirudin.
He added that there has been no discussion or instruction from the party leadership regarding any move for him to transition to the federal level.
“I don’t believe we’ll be holding a by-election just to seek a new mandate and change the mentri besar in the final two years of the term,” he said.
“There are many other priorities that require our attention.
“Right now, our focus is on the upcoming Sabah state election and on strengthening the unity government,” Amirudin added.
Meanwhile, PKR said it has yet to receive any official application from Tengku Zafrul to join the party.
Its secretary-general Dr Fuziah Salleh said all applications to join PKR must be submitted online and will go through the party’s standard procedure.
“Each application will be processed and presented at the central leadership council meeting.
“It will be reviewed carefully, taking into account various viewpoints, including those from the unity government partners and grassroots feedback,” she said in a statement yesterday, Bernama reported.
In KULAI, DAP national vice-chairman Teo Nie Ching said Tengku Zafrul’s decision to join PKR will not impact the dynamics of the unity government.
The Deputy Communications Minister said the component parties in the current government are mature and can overcome this hurdle.
“If Tengku Zafrul is interested in joining PKR, it is his decision. If the party wants input from other component parties in Pakatan (Harapan), they will reach out to DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke,” Teo told reporters.
