Selangor PAS has dismissed claims that it agreed to Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali being appointed as the state chairman for Perikatan Nasional.
Selangor PAS Youth chief Sukri Omar stated that no official decision was reached regarding support for Azmin to lead the state coalition during any of its meetings.
The clarification follows a claim made by Bersatu Supreme Council member Afif Bahardin, who alleged that Selangor PAS had consented to Azmin leading the coalition in the state.
Azmin currently serves as the Hulu Kelang assemblyman.
Internal disagreements over leadership status quo
Afif had previously suggested that during a recent meeting between the state chapters of Bersatu and PAS, the latter expressed a preference for the status quo to remain.
Last weekend, Bersatu proposed that Azmin be reappointed to the position. Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin noted that the nomination was based on Azmin’s current role as the opposition leader in the Selangor state assembly.
Azmin, who served as the Selangor menteri besar from 2014 to 2018, originally resigned as the state coalition chief on Jan 1. This move followed Muhyiddin’s initial decision to step down as the coalition chairman.
Prerogative of the coalition chairman
Sukri highlighted that the party’s grassroots have expressed a desire for a PAS leader to take the helm of Selangor Perikatan Nasional.
He further clarified that any claims suggesting PAS wanted to maintain the status quo were merely personal views and did not represent the official stance of the party.
According to Sukri, the final decision to appoint a chairman for the coalition’s state chapters rests entirely with the Perikatan Nasional chairman.
