SHAH ALAM: SELANGOR Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim yesterday said he would not step down despite the intense pressure on him to do so.
Khalid said he was standing his ground as he had promised to serve the people of Selangor.
He made light of renewed speculation on his position and reaffirmed earlier statements that he would stay in office till the end of his second term.
“I am going to stay till the end of the term as per my promise to the people of Selangor. When I took the oath as the menteri besar, I have taken this responsibility to manage and head Selangor until the next general election,” Khalid said after chairing a weekly state executive council meeting at Bangunan Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah here yesterday.
Brushing aside the calls for him to resign, he said the pressure had become a norm to him and he would continue to manage the state.
Khalid’s rivals within PKR had mounted a campaign to oust him over the past several months.
On Tuesday, several online news portals had reported that according to an unnamed PKR source, DAP and Pas had agreed in a closed-door meeting on Monday to replace Khalid with Bukit Antarabangsa member of parliament, Azmin Ali.
On the state’s water restructuring exercise, Khalid said the deal’s heads of agreement have been circulated among the parties involved and he expected it would be signed within two weeks.
The heads of agreement details the process of acquisition of shares from several water concessionaires and transactions in terms of licensing, loans and bonds transfer in exchange for a long-term lease to Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd, the company tasked to take over the water assets.
“I will have a discussion with the Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister this week on the position taken by the state and the Federal Government in dealing with our offer to Splash (Syarikat Pengeluar Air Sungai Selangor Sdn Bhd).
“The state maintains that it will make the same offer as the one given to the other concessionaires,” Khalid said.
In the event Splash refused to accept the offer, he said invoking Section 114 of the Water Services Industry Act, which enables the state government to forcibly take over the company, would be considered.
On the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway controversy, Khalid said he was told that the Malaysian Highway Authority had given their traffic impact assessment and environmental impact assessment findings to the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).
“I am told they have done so and they are ready to assist MBPJ in conducting a meeting with assemblymen and members of parliament.
“Following which, upon satisfaction, they will meet Petaling Jaya residents.”
-NST
