Selangor MB faces sternest test

DATUK Seri Amirudin Shari first came into office as Selangor Mentri Besar in a grand manner, after Pakatan Harapan achieved a landslide victory in 2018.

There were only five Opposition members in the 56-seat House, which grew to 15 after the Sheraton Move in 2020. Still, it was fairly easy for Amirudin.

Now, the Mentri Besar faces his sternest test, with the Opposition ballooning into 22 members. Bersatu has 12 seats and PAS 10.

To top it off, Amirudin’s former mentor and predecessor Datuk Seri Azmin Ali will also be among the Opposition.

“It’s going to be a big challenge for him as his new exco (executive council) team has several inexperienced new faces.

“In the House, there are only two backbenchers – DAP’s Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishiyakaran and Kuala Kubu Baru assemblyman Lee Kee Hiong – who are third-termers while the rest are all second- or first-termers,’’ said a former Selangor assemblyman.

He said Amirudin and his team will be facing a very aggressive Opposition led by Azmin, the Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman, and his two proteges, Gombak Setia’s Hilman Idham and Taman Medan assemblyman Dr Afif Bahardin.

“Dr Afif is a former Penang exco member and has experience in the workings of an executive council.

“Then, there are PAS assemblymen Datuk Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi (Sijangkang) as well as Sallehin Mukhyi (Sabak) who had also served as Selangor exco members in the past and know how the exco works,’’ said the former assemblyman.

Political analyst and National Professors Council member Prof Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmood said that since Pakatan does not have a two-thirds majority, Amirudin will need to seek the Opposition’s support when formulating new laws or amending existing ones.

“It will be tough for him as he would need to convince the Opposition to support him. It is not going to be easy.

“He needs his exco to be knowledgeable to help him handle the Opposition,’’ said Nik Ahmad Kamal.

The Opposition, he said, will actively highlight issues in Selangor and Amirudin and his exco must be prepared to greet them with answers.

“Selangor is a very complex state as it is very rich. It also has many problems, including urban poverty due to extensive urbanisation,’’ he added.

Amirudin’s current executive line-up is made up of four DAP members, three from PKR, two from Amanah and one from Umno.

They are Ng Sze Han, Ng Suee Lim, Jamaliah Jamaluddin and V. Papparaidu (DAP), Borhan Aman Shah, Mohd Najwan Halimi and Dr Fahmi Ngah (PKR), Izham Hashim and Anfaal Saari (Amanah) and Datuk Rizam Ismail (Umno).

Of these, former state assembly speaker Suee Lim is the most experienced as he is serving his fifth term, while Sze Han, Borhan and Izham had served as exco members in the previous administration.

Sze Han is serving his third term and Borhan, Izham, Jamaliah, Mohd Najwan and Rizam are serving their second term as assemblymen. Papparaidu, Dr Fahmi and Anfaal are newbies.

Being an experienced politician, strategist and administrator, Amirudin must be aware of what awaits Pakatan when the state assembly convenes.

Politicians can be very brutal when attacking opponents and Amirudin can expect the worst.

He has to work overtime for the next five years to ensure his administration is not swept into oblivion like what Pakatan itself did to Barisan Nasional 15 years ago.

When the then Pakatan Rakyat grabbed the state, it secured 36 seats. Pakatan now has two fewer seats. If nothing concrete is done, that number can shrink further within the next two elections.

Amirudin himself must be looking over his shoulder.

His own majority in Sungai Tua fell from 11,374 in 2018 to 5,185 in 2023, barely eight months after he defeated Azmin in Gombak with a reasonably good majority in the general election last November.

The Mentri Besar also has to appease the Indian community –once a fixed deposit – which is now swaying towards Perikatan Nasional.

“The Indian community is the kingmaker in 76 constituencies nationwide, which include quite a number of state seats in Selangor,’’ said political analyst Dr Sivamurugan Pandian.

He said a swift resolution must be sought as Indian votes seem to be split in Selangor in both the general and state elections.

“It is not known yet if these are protest votes or the Indians are looking for an alternative to Pakatan,’’ he added.

A Pakatan insider said that in Selangor, a large number of Indian votes in Sungai Kandis and Taman Medan had gone to the Muda and Perikatan candidates, respectively.

Pakatan candidates from PKR lost in both constituencies.

As for DAP, the party must not be complacent despite winning all 15 seats it contested in Selangor.

A lot can happen within the next five years. The continuous growth of the Malay population in the party’s urban constituencies can prove to be a major setback for DAP if it does not win the hearts of all segments of society.