Malaysiakini reports : “Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said that the Selangor government will seek the views of state ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah on how it should deal with the controversy surrounding executive councillor Elizabeth Wong.”

Is PKR’s ‘new’ politics that holds justice and human rights as core values which transcend gender, ethnicity and class – and gutter politics – alone NOT sufficient to guide how Selangor government should react to Elizabeth Wong’s offer of resignation?

With all respect to HRH the Sultan, whose wisdom is not doubted, isn’t Khalid Ibrahim’s action a kind of “passing the buck” to the Ruler, when PKR should bear the burden alone on that decision? As constitutional head of religion, would a Ruler have many options on this matter by way of guidance?

Is royal guidance, sought, required mandatorily to be followed/abided?

How does the Selangor situation of seeking royal guidance jive with the situation in Perak in which royal decision (let alone) guidance on MB’s appointment has not be followed by PR?

If (procedurally) constitutional monarch’s guidance will have to be respected, then PR must likewise be prepared that BN would, in connection to Perak State assembly affairs, refer the issue of Mohd Nizar and his PR’s state councillors running a ‘shadow government’ parallel to Zamri’s to HRH Sultan of Perak (again) for guidance, and if the guidance were that Mohd Nizar and his PR’s state councillors running a ‘shadow government’ should immediately desist and disband to end the charade, will PR abide by the royal decision/guidance?

Please note that institution of monarchy, albeit constitutional, is synonymous with upholding tradition.

This is not symmetrical with “our hopes for New Politics” espoused by PKR as stated by Farish Noor.

New Politics surely is not consistent with tradition, is it?

In the beginning Elizabeth said she did nothing wrong and the question of her resigning did not arise when she said that “I will in the meantime continue to carry out my task of serving the people of Selangor faithfully.”

She said very clearly she had done nothing wrong and added “that I am not ashamed of my sexuality as a woman and as a single person. I have broken no law. I stand by the fundamental principle in a democracy that has a right to privacy.”

She also said, “Parti Keadilan Rakyat stands for ‘new’ politics that holds justice and human rights as core values which transcend gender, ethnicity and class. ‘New’ politics also means we rise above gutter politics.”

How come then she now changed her stance so quickly to offer her letter of resignation? The question must be asked : did PR Selangor state government induce her to tender in her resignation?

And to avoid the prospect of not being accused of not walking the talk on “new politics” conveniently pass the buck to HRH the Sultan of Selangor, the constitutional head of Islam, for guidance – when I don’t see the Perak state councillors led by Mohd Nizar turn to the Perak ruler for guidance (instead did not abide with HRH the Sultan’s to step down as MB in favour of Zamri)?

Is there a double standard here?

?

The arithmetic does not add up. “New Politics” my foot – more like old wine in new bottle.

Baradan Kuppusamy reported in The MalaysiaInsider Feb 17:’The party debated the issue long and hard on Monday night and early Tuesday and although it is so painful we had to let her go,” said a senior PKR leader who could not be identified because he is not authorised to comment on the issue. “The party comes first, it has to be protected,” the person said. “We felt our political enemies would extensively exploit the images and other materials during the Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau (April 7) by-elections,” the person said. “The party would be badly damaged.” “Najib’s rise coincides with the loss of Perak and the injection of new vigour into Umno and BN and consequently giving the impression that the Pakatan Rakyat tide might have reached its zenith. Some quarters say BN/Umno – given the changing circumstances and other factors – can possibly win Bukit Gantang or even Bukit Selambau but probably not Bukit Lanjan.Therefore, a comfortable victory in Bukit Lanjan would boost the Pakatan Rakyat at a time when it seems to be in retreat after losing Perak and facing allegations of defections of its representatives in Kedah and Selangor.
In that sense, letting Wong go, saving the image of PKR and winning back Bukit Lanjan, are shrewd political calculations. She had enemies within and outside, a colleague said.’

Baradan Kuppusamy summarised, “The need to uphold a higher moral ground in comparison with the Barisan Nasional (BN) and shrewd political calculations are behind the resignation of Elizabeth Wong.”

I ask how can you be on a higher moral ground in comparison with the Barisan Nasional (BN) when if you said Elizabeth had done nothing wrong and that she was a victim of gutter politics, you reward/give in to the calculations of gutter politicians by creating (party-wise) a situation that she has to resign??? Whatever happen to “new politics”? Bottom line you’re still talking about “letting Wong go, saving the image of PKR to prevent BN exploiting the images and other materials during the Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau (April 7) by-elections and winning back Bukit Lanjan, shrewd political calculations” – everything but the principle of right or wrong, and indirectly in the process giving gutter politicians the motivation to continue this kind of black mail – because such blackmail always yields the desired result of forcing the resignation of the victim! How does that put the party, with all these calculations, on a higher moral plane, I wish to know???

Crapfather (as in father of all craps) says “One Jeff is a Gerakan plant” which is an insinuation that DAP is naive enough to bring in a ‘Gerakan plant’ and let him have the Jelutong seat…If you want to give random crap allegations, have the decency to do so in his blog than spew them here in a space in which counter party does not likely visit and hence has no opportunity to reply.

What is there for Anwar to ask Wong to reconsider her “quit” decision when, after delivering the quit notice the ball is in the Selangor state govt’s court, and he could just direct the Selangor State govt/MB to reject her offer to quit, there being then no need for Khalid to seek royal guidance???

“This is just a BN plot to try to get Liz Wong to quit. Shame on those who practice such gutter politics.” – Kenny Gan

Agreed : so why should PKR gratify such gutter politics by rewarding and giving success to that plot by getting Elizabeth out on the excuse of party interests?

Supposing I am wrong – that it wasn’t for party interests that she be out but that she should stay – on ground of principle. Then even if she tendered graciously her resignation in good faith to show that she did not put her self interest above party’s, it would behoove the party and the Selangor state govt to do right by rejecting her quit offer instead of seeking royal guidance from Sultan of Selangor whilst not abiding with guidance or directive of Perak sultan! What is the logic here??