Is this why Anwar wants Khalid removed?

PETALING JAYA: Is Anwar Ibrahim making the move to replace Khalid Ibrahim as the Selangor Menteri Besar so that he can ‘pay back’ a Chinese businessman who had funded PKR during the May 2013 general election?

Right now, Khalid is refusing to ‘reward’ the Chinese businessman for his political funding which was allegedly given to PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, who is also the state PKR chief, claimed popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin.

Writing in his Malaysia-Today portal, Raja Petra said the unnamed Chinese businessman had gone to see Anwar to complain and to hand him the evidence of giving the funding to Azmin for the GE.

“He was pissed that after paying the money he did not get those ‘favours’ as promised and as what he paid for.

“Anwar then summoned Azmin who admitted that he had, in fact, received the ‘election contribution’,” said Raja Petra.

He added that Azmin had informed Anwar that he had kept the contribution a secret because it was illegal and the party’s candidates would get disqualified if the Election Commission (SPR) found out.

“Azmin then explained that he could not deliver the ‘favours’ to the Chinese businessman because Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim was blocking all his moves.

“And that was when Anwar and Azmin decided that Khalid has to be removed,” said Raja Petra.

In the days after Pakatan Rakyat regained Selangor, Azmin had attempted to put himself inline to be the menteri besar, only to be rebuffed by the palace which had wanted Khalid to continue. Khalid also had the support of both DAP and PAS.

However in the months after the GE, the relationship between Azmin and Khalid became worse with the former continuously criticising Khalid’s leadership.

Late last month, Azmin’s supporters in PKR put forward a plan called ‘Kajang Move’ which saw the Kajang elected rep Lee Chin Cheh resigning from his seat to allow Anwar to contest in a by-election, ostensibly to allow the PKR supremo to become the new Selangor MB.

Azmin as state exco?

Although Anwar has not openly declared his intention to replace Khalid, his interviews and statements in recent days almost confirmed that agenda.

Sources close to Khalid meanwhile say that there was an understanding between Khalid and Anwar on the matter but that had depended on Azmin being removed for Selangor totally.

“Under the negotiated plan, Khalid agreed to give way to Anwar to become the MB provided that Azmin would vacate his Bukit Antarabangsa state seat in favour of Anwar.

“However after agreeing to that, the inner circle in PKR got Lee to step down in favour of Anwar, and Azmin was allowed to remain as the state rep.

“And now there are talks that with Anwar being the new MB, Azmin might even make an entry as a state exco,” said the source.

The source added that while on record Khalid would support Anwar’s campaign in Kajang, and to eventually replace him as the MB, things were however very different behind the scenes.

“And no one is buying the excuse that Anwar is being brought into Selangor to save the state from Umno…and it is unlikely that the Sultan too would buy that argument,” added the source.

The approval of the Sultan is vital if Anwar wants to become the new MB.