SHAH ALAM: The Selangor palace has received the names of three potential candidates for the post of menteri besar from Pas, according to a palace source.
The source, however, declined to reveal the names.
A source close to the state government disclosed that Pas had sent three names to the palace.
“The correspondence was handled personally by Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang,” said the source.
The media had reported on Thursday that Abdul Hadi had sent the names of three Selangor state executive councillors as candidates for the post.
The three candidates are reportedly Iskandar Abdul Samad, Sallehen Mukhyi and Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi.
However, all three have denied any knowledge of the matter.
On Aug 26, the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, had decreed that each of the three parties making up the Pakatan Rakyat pact – DAP, PKR and Pas – submit more than two names to be considered for the post of menteri besar.
The sultan requested the names after deferring the acceptance of the resignation of Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim as the menteri besar until a new menteri besar had been appointed.
Khalid had initially refused to step down as the menteri besar in defiance of a PKR and Pakatan Rakyat decision to do so to pave the way for PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to take over the post.
Meanwhile, PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu said he was unsure whether the names of Wan Azizah and PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali were not on the list sent to the palace.
“We, the members of the PAS central committee, have no knowledge of the fresh names because that was not decided at the meeting of the committee on Aug 17,” he said in a statement.
In a related development, Ijok assemblyman Dr Idris Ahmad of PKR declined comment when asked whether his name was
on the PAS list of potential candidates for the post. — Bernama