.jpg "Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Amirudin Shari addresses members of the press after launching the Selangor E-Bazaar platform in Shah Alam May 5, 2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Miera Zulyana")
KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 — Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari has today dismissed talk that several PKR assemblymen in the state are waiting for the right time to cross over to Perikatan Nasional (PN), The Star reported tonight.
Expressing a high degree of confidence in his fellow state representatives, Amirudin said the Pakatan Harapan (PH) state government is intact.
“Those who made up this story are daydreaming.
“I am certain our assemblymen are firm in their commitment to Selangor PH and the state government’s policies,” he was quoted as saying.
Amirudin was responding to speculation that points towards possible defections as it is believed that 10 out of the 19 PKR assemblymen in the state are aligned with former party deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.
Azmin, who was once Selangor mentri besar, was sacked from PKR, and has since joined Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), a key party in the PN coalition.
Amirudin said the talk about defections was “cheap propaganda” aimed at discrediting the state government and to camouflage the failure of certain quarters in fighting Covid-19.
Speaking to reporters after announcing the disbursement breakdown of the state’s Covid-19 stimulus package, Amirudin added that the “propaganda” was also aimed at covering up disunity within the PN government.
When asked about PKR women’s chief Haniza Talha’s suspension status, Amirudin said investigations were still ongoing.
It was reported that Lembah Jaya assemblyman, Haniza, who is the state’s exco member in charge of housing and urban living, was suspended by PKR last month for allegedly meeting up with Azmin and former party vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin who was also sacked from the party.
“The suspension was made to complete investigations and come up with a disciplinary report.
“So we will have to wait for further instructions because it is not an easy task to replace and change,” Amirudin was quoted as saying.
He added what was crucial at this juncture was the disciplinary action report as well as confirmation of Haniza’s position.
“It’s only after that can we take further action,” he said.
Commenting on the defection of two PKR assemblymen in Kedah, Amirudin said there were clear lines drawn between PH and PN.
He said this also in response to party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent statement that those who defect should leave in a good manner without creating animosity as Malaysia is a democratic country.
Amirudin, however, said in Selangor, they have adopted a more open approach, whereby four Bersatu assemblymen, who had pledged their support for the PH state, were regarded as part of the state government.
He added there must be political maturity among lawmakers from both divides when addressing the people’s interests.
He cited several examples including the state leadership attending a National Security Council meeting recently which was chaired by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“We attended the meeting and gave our views and opinions openly,” he added.
