I sabotaged the boss, says Khalid - malaysiakini

Shah Alam MP Khalid Abdul Samad has claimed that he had sabotaged plans by Selangor Pas commissioner Datuk Dr Hassan Ali to form a possible joint government with Barisan Nasional after the March 8 general election results were announced.

"I sabotaged his plans. The fact is we won in other States with the help of other parties in Pakatan Rakyat. Why should we form a State government with BN?" he told Malay Mail yesterday.

BN had won 20 State seats in Selangor, and former Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo had mooted the idea of an alliance with Pas, which won eight seats.

Dr Hassan accepted Mohd Khir’s invitation for a discussion, but the talks failed. Pas then stayed with Parti Keadilan Rakyat, which won 20 seats, and DAP, which secured two seats in Selangor.

While Khalid, who is the older brother of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Shahrir Abdul Samad, got his way in thwarting a BN-Pas coalition, he himself has been ejected from the State Pas line-up announced by Dr Hassan last Friday.

Khalid, who was the party's State deputy commissioner, said the differences in opinions and approaches between him and his boss had reached a non-reconciliation stage.

"He wanted team players in the committee and I cannot be a team player with him as the boss. So, he dropped me and chose his men. Now, I will wait and see if he delivers or not," Khalid said.

• "I sabotaged his plans. The fact is we won in other States with the help of other parties in Pakatan Rakyat. Why should we form a State government with BN?" he told Malay Mail yesterday.

"It’s either he stays or I stay in the State committee. There is no way we can reconcile and sit in the same committee anymore."

The bad blood between the two has been a long-standing issue way before March 8 with Dr Hassan wanting more seats for Pas so that the party could play a more prominent role in the State if the opposition alliance were to win.

However, Khalid felt that Pas should just help strengthen the Pakatan Rakyat alliance in Selangor and take the lead in the other States.

"Put it this way...I am closer to the Pakatan Rakyat government while Dr Hassan is inward looking. He does not want to play second fiddle in the State government while I am willing because in Pas-held States, other parties in Pakatan Rakyat are playing second fiddle. This is what Pakatan Rakyat is supposed to be," he said.

The split between the two does not stop there. The relationship between the Pakatan Rakyat-led State government and Selangor Pas is also strained.

Dr Hassan has disagreed on several policies implemented by Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim that he deemed were not beneficial to the Malays in the State but his arguments have been ignored.

This had led to him shying away from several State exco meetings recently.

Some Pas members believe that Dr Hassan might continue to stay away from the State exco meetings and this would affect relationships as well as the position of Parti Keadilan Rakyat as the backbone of the State government.

Khalid is a close associate of PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, while Dr Hassan was moulded by former Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib.