Tuesday, 23 October 2012 09:41

(from left) Faekah, Abdul Khalid and Azmin.IT'S very obvious by now that the rift between Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and Azmin Ali is very real despite the smile and handshake exchanges between the two that were meant for the camera.

The issue was resurrected thanks to Sinar Harian's front-page interview with the headline: "MB Baru Selepas PRU13" (New MB After General Election) that was published two weeks ago.

In the interview, PKR deputy president Azmin had reportedly said the Selangor Menteri Besar could be replaced and Abdul Khalid would be appointed as federal minister if the opposition coalition won the next general election.

The situation escalated further after Abdul Khalid's feisty political secretary Faekah Husin spoke out in retaliation against her boss' foe by saying, "Who is Azmin to make such a deduction? I don't know what drove him to come up with that statement." She reminded that it is the Sultan who has the final say on who is the MB although the party can put forward its candidate.

Faekah also said the party "has never discussed with us about the potential line-up or who will be the MB."

Both sides attempted to downplay the issue later on after other media played up the war of words between the two PKR bigwigs. However, the damage is already done.

Those from Azmin's camp have lambasted Faekah, who have always acted as Abdul Khalid's 'voice', for her remarks, saying that she was belittling the Gombak MP. Not only that, there's renewed calls to Faekah to quit for criticizing Azmin. A group using the Twitter handle @PecatFaekah (Sack Faekah) has since extended their scope to @PecatFaekah/Arfah, the latter being Abdul Khalid's press secretary.

The focus was shifted to Faekah after Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin came to Azmin's defense by expressing disappointment over the former's "unnecessary comments" and telling her off for "jumping the gun."

"If only Faekah held her breath for a second and finished reading the (Sinar Harian) article in good faith," she said in a statement.

Zuraida, who is also Selangor PKR deputy chief and one of Azmin's strongest allies, also told Faekah to improve her communication skills with party leaders.

"Our advice to Faekah is to break her wall of communications with the party leaders because until today, she has yet to communicate with most state and party national leaders on party and state matters," Zuraida said.

Along with the Wanita PKR chief, the party's vice presidents have also come to Azmin's defense.

"I believe in his (Azmin's) exuberance and hubris for electoral victory, voicing his personal opinion on all possibilities of leadership is just that – his personal opinion," said Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.

N. Surendran said Abdul Khalid should look at the statement "as a compliment".

"Those who claim this to be an insult to the Sultan don't understand Parliamentary democracy and the position of a monarch within it," he claimed.

Meanwhile, Batu MP Tian Chua said Faekah was "not supposed to be commenting on political issues."

The Abdul Khalid-Azmin spat has created an evident split among PKR, particularly Selangor PKR, and in no way is this longstanding feud healthy for the party's future. With the impending General Election fast approaching, there's just too much at stake for PKR to leave this internal conflict unsettled.

However, the matter is much more complicated than it seems. Word has it that Azmin's wound from losing the MB race to Abdul Khalid in 2008 is too deep and this explains why the former is bent on staking his territory.

The power to unite Selangor PKR lies with party de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and its president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. It's not as easy as it looks though since the husband and wife themselves do not appear to be cohesive when it comes to who they favor in this ongoing rift. Azmin and Anwar have a long history. Known to be Anwar's blue-eyed boy (according to a party insider it took almost an hour for Anwar to placate Azmin after Abdul Khalid was confirmed as the choice of MB), he was special officer to Anwar when the latter was Education Minister.

Anwar, however, at the Selangor Keadilan annual dinner on Sunday gave his strongest endorsement yet of Abdul Khalid when he praised the latter for being the most successful Selangor MB due to the latter's "moral integrity."

Meanwhile, Faekah was the former political secretary to PKR president Dr Wan Azizah and it is known that they are still very close. Not to mention, both Wan Azizah and Nurul Izzah have made statements to the effect of siding Abdul Khalid.

Azmin had been telling us, "I am eyeing Putrajaya, not Selangor" but the signs are there that he wants the Selangor MB post by hook or by crook. However, despite Abdul Khalid's gentle demeanor, he won't make it easy for Azmin. The charade to play down the rift between Azmin and Abdul Khalid will continue but, in politics, one can shake your hand while concealing a knife in the other.

To some, it will come as no surprise if Dr Wan Azizah emerges as the Selangor MB-in-waiting, that is if PKR manages to retain the precious state – which could be another way to possibly settle the dispute while teaching the feuding colleagues a lesson.

- mD