GRABS protest proposal to make Wan Azizah new Selangor MB

An NGO organised a peaceful gathering to protest Pakatan Rakyat's plans to appoint Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the new Selangor menteri besar.

The group calling themselves "Gerak Rakyat Arus Bawahan Selangor" (Grabs) gathered at Shah Alam's Dataran Kemerdekaan yesterday evening to protest the political crisis in Selangor initiated by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

The spokesman for the group, Hanafiah Hussin said they are protesting the proposal (to make Dr Wan Azizah the MB) as the PKR president was not a Selangor-born.

Meanwhile, a former Sabak Bernam PKR member, Mohd Faisal Idris, said Dr Wan Azizah's appointment was a violation of Pakatan Rakyat's Permatang Pauh Declaration made in 1998, which among others opposed nepotism, cronyism, and fought for justice for all.

"What justice has been accorded to Abdul Khalid (Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim) when he was not given sufficient time to address the accusations hurled against him by PKR when Anwar (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) himself was given the chance to postpone his appeals (his case in court) for 67 times," he said.

On Thursday, Dr Wan Azizah claimed she had the support of the majority of the Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen in Selangor, including two PAS assemblymen -- Saari Sungib (Hulu Kelang) and Hasnul Baharuddin (Morib) -- to take over as the new MB in place of Abdul Khalid, who was expelled from PKR.

Abdul Khalid on Friday had issued a statement saying the Sultan of Selangor had asked him not to make any decision or announcements pertaining the MB post until the latter returns from overseas on Aug 27.