KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 — Permatang Pauh voters must never forget PKR’s failed attempt to install Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as Selangor mentri besar last year which had nearly caused a leadership and constitutional crisis in the state, Utusan Malaysia said today.

Awang Selamat, the editorial voice of the Umno-linked daily, said in the broadsheet’s Sunday edition Mingguan Malaysia that voters there should be mindful of the fact that Dr Wan Azizah was a “recycled” candidate whose only interest was to preserve the political power and legacy of her family and jailed husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“Before this, Anwar unashamedly chose Dr Wan Azizah as the Kajang candidate (for PKR). The move was called the Kajang move.

“It was Anwar’s persistence in wanting Dr Wan Azizah to become mentri besar which caused a crisis with the (Selangor) palace,” Awang wrote today.

The editorial claimed that the PKR president’s candidacy for her jailed husband’s Permatang Pauh seat only reinforced the fact that PKR practiced open nepotism.

The Utusan piece alleged that Dr Wan Azizah’s current performance as Kajang state lawmaker and previous role as former Permatang Pauh MP had been lacklustre at best

“Again this is an issue about husband, wife and nepotism. Have we forgotten (about the Kajang move)?

“Husband and wife are changing parliamentary seats like they are sharing pillows at home,” Awang added.

“The question is why does PKR not have faith in putting a local candidate to contest, it is as if no one but Anwar and Dr Wan Azizah’s family is qualified,” the Utusan editorial said.

The Permatang Pauh seat was vacated after PKR de facto leader  Anwar  was sentenced to five years in jail earlier this year for sodomising a former aide.

Anwar had first won the parliamentary seat in 1982 on a Barisan Nasional (BN) ticket before he was sacked from government in 1998.

This prompted Dr Wan Azizah to lead the formation of Keadilan, and went on to capture the seat in the 1999 national polls, establishing Permatang Pauh as an opposition stronghold.

Dr Wan Azizah faces three opponents in this electoral contest - Suhaimi Sabudin for BN, PRM’s Azman Shah Othman or independent Salleh Isahak.