Let’s hear the Selangor Exco speak
The councillors must bear collective responsibility for Khalid's alleged misdeeds.
By Kua Kia Soong
So far in the Selangor Menteri Besar controversy, the wrong people, namely Pakatan Rakyat leaders outside the state leadership, have been making allegations against Abdul Khalid Ibrahim amidst much sound and fury.
Actually, the only people who are accountable to the voters of Selangor are the state Executive Council (Exco) members, who form Khalid’s cabinet. We have heard many allegations against Khalid, but the councillors, except for Teng Chang Khim of DAP, have been silent.
Teng, who chairs the Local Government, Research and Development Committee of the state administration, has stepped forward to defend Khalid, rejecting claims that he acted unilaterally on a number of key administrative matters.
He said it was not true that Khalid had not consulted others when making important decisions, or that the Exco was “kept in the dark” over a recent water deal between the state and federal government.
News reports yesterday quoted him as saying: “It is not a true picture. He didn’t make decisions on his own without going through the Exco. The notice to attend (the signing ceremony) may have been short but the matter has been discussed.”
Now, would you believe a state Exco member who is prepared to bear collective responsibility for the MB’s decisions or would you believe someone who is not in the state cabinet?
For years, we have rightly criticised federal ministers for being Umno puppets and that is what Reformasi was supposed to change, wasn’t it?
The hope was to reinstate good governance demonstrated by collective leadership incorporating transparency, democracy, accountability and public participation.
So now, let’s hear our state Exco members speak. Has Khalid lived up to these principles in the last six years as the Selangor MB? If not, why didn’t you speak out or resign in protest?
Kua Kia Soong is an Adviser to Suaram
Let Khalid stay on as MB
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