As the choppy day winds down yesterday, a whole lot of decision had and were being made. Even the largest single stock market plunge of 9.5% on the KLSE Composite Index did not deter the Barisan Rakyat coalition from putting forward their agendas and plans. First and foremost on the mind of everyone will be the naming of the 4 Menteri Besar’s (Governor) and the single Chief Minister for the 5 opposition led states of Penang, Selangor, Kedah, Perak & Kelantan. This should closely be followed by the naming of their deputies and the state executive councilors for each state. Not to be left out is the the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur where the opposition has swept most of the seat.
For now the expected and confirmed candidates for the MB and CM posts are:
Penang
DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng will be officially instated as the Chief Minister of Penang today. He is expected to lead a formation of Barisan Rakyat (DAP-PKR-PAS) executive councilors in forming the next Penang state government.
Already DAP are making all the right noises – from pledging to stand by the promises made and its manifesto for Penang, to putting public interest first in the implementation or review of any project or policies & also projecting a business-friendly environment for existing MNCs to operate in Penang. In fact word on the street is that a 3-man team of newly elected parliamentarians led by Jeff Ooi will be given the task of liaisoning with investors, MNC & SME on Penang’s business outlook following the recent political changes.
Selangor
PKR Secretary-General Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim has officially been announced to the Menteri Besar designate of Selangor. After consultation with the Sultan of Selangor the official blessing to form the state government is contingent on the Sultans meeting with the DAP & PAS components of the proposed Barisan Rakyat state government.
Meanwhile Khalid Ibrahim is expected to name the state executive councilors as early as tomorrow or Thursday and will be looking into the possible naming of a Deputy Menteri Besar of Chinese or Indian ethnic decent. Khalid Ibrahim comes into the position of Menteri Besar will a top credentials from his time as CEO of Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) and later on CEO of Kumpulan Guthrie.
Khalid Ibrahim is off on a great start. He has already bringing his business experience to bear by stating that he will implementing a quarterly development report to the Selangor citizens. Also he has stated that transparency in governance in the new state government will a fact and no more fiction as was wont in the previous establishment. Better still is a possible move, pending a legal review, to free Selangor from the Official Secrets Act – the every act that has allowed the previous state government to dissemble and hide previous bureaucratic decisions and paperwork. Selangor citizens are on track to get what they have long wanted – proper governance, transparency and check and balance in place!
Kedah
Kedah PAS Commissioner, Azizan Abdul Razak has been sworn in as the Menteri Besar of Kedah. PAS has the most seats in the 3 opposition parties and is expected to from a joint PAS-PKR state assembly. The current word is that the newly formed state government will see the inclusion of 2 non-Muslim PKR assemblypersons and 1 DAP post as state exco members.
Right now the ball is is the hands of PAS Menteri Besar and his soon to be announced councilors. The people of Kedah will be eyeing any overt introduction of Islamic administrative systems and regulations. YB Azizan has stated that the state government will approach this matter sensitively and also reassures that PAS will not be on an Islamic agenda in the state. He also said that a review of the project initiated by the previous BN led state government is on the cards.
Perak
Speculation is rife on the possible candidates for the post of the Menteri Besar of Perak. It’s widely expected that the future MB will be chosen from the ranks of either PAS or PKR. Even though DAP leads in terms of number of seats, they are expected to make way for a Malay MB as its required by the state’s law – unless the Sultan’s waves the prerogative for a Malay MB out of the way.
The latest news has it that the PAS candidate is Mohamad Nizar Jamaludin (Pasir Panjang) while the PKR candidate is Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (Behrang). Still a third candidate from DAP was possibly named in a list submitted to the purview of the Regent of Perak. Thus far as the decision seems to be in the air, the state leaders of the Barisan Rakyat coalition have already reassured that a joint-ruling will be the focus of the state government.
Kelantan
The traditional long time seat of PAS will continue as usual. With an even bigger mandate compared to the 2004 election, the state government of Kelantan will remain in the control of PAS with Dato’ Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat expected to continue on as Menteri Besar.
