Khalid’s Kajang dilemma - Lose-lose position

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is in a fix — he has to put up a strong and confident front — but the reality is the Selangor mentri besar is in a real big problem.

PKR de facto chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is after his head, given the fact quarters are justifying Anwar's move to contest in Kajang to work his way up to the mentri besar chair.

The justification was first aimed at ending the spat between Khalid and PKR's deputy president Azmin Ali but was later supposed to stop BN from 'taking over' the state. Later, it emerged that Khalid was a good administrator but quite naive and the federal government might declare a state of emergency in Selangor.

All claims made to justify Anwar’s candidacy made Khalid look like a fool, that all this while he was not good enough material for mentri besar and he needed to be replaced by none other than Anwar himself.

Khalid appears to be pushed to the corner yet he still puts on a broad smile in public despite knowing he is being ‘played out’ by his own party chief and Azmin’s men.

The latest is — despite claims that Khalid is not a good politician — he is being made the party by-election director of operations, leading the charge to retain the Kajang seat.

Khalid is no strategist or political animal because if he is, he would have ‘politically killed’ Azmin long before the Selangor Development Corporation (PKNS) episode.

He is not even an active player in the party, holding no position except as an elected member of the party's political bureau by virtue of him being mentri besar. It is the highest decision making body of the party but Khalid is seldom present at those meetings.

With his recent appointment as by-election director, Khalid is being put in a position where he carries the burden of being blamed for any unwelcome outcome — if Anwar wins with lesser majority than the previous assemblyman, he will be blamed for using incorrect strategies; and if Anwar wins with a higher majority, all credit will go to Anwar.

Whichever way, Khalid will still not get any credit and he will still be replaced as implied by Rafizi Ramli, the mastermind behind the 'Kajang move'.

Selangor needs a mentri besar that can stand up to Umno’s onslaught.