The Pakatan Rakyat debacle in Selangor has finally exposed the hidden hands of Umno using the palace and the ‘hidden’ Umno supporters within Pakatan Rakyat.

The Palace’s unconventional request for 2 names to be submitted by each component parties in Pakatan Rakyat is unprecedented.

The constitutional monarch has no jurisdiction in appointing the Menteri Besar other than the one who commands the majority support in state assembly.

The Sultan nor his royal office are new to this sort of mentri besar crisis. Yet, there are elements close to the palace that are dictating to Pakatan Rakyat component parties what should or should not be done by the sultan.

Umno is the puppet master behind the scene and is pulling the strings, using the palace to prolong the crisis.

The ultimate aim is forming an alternate unity government with expected defections from PAS and PKR.

The revelation that PAS president was actually a Trojan horse promoting Umno’s interest in forming the new unity government without going back to the voters indicates the direction and target of Umno in Selangor crisis.

Umno, through the PAS president is plotting a ‘Perak like defection’ to form a new government.

Defecting to the other side

Prime Minister  Najib Razak knows pretty well that if there is a snap election Umno and BN have no chance of returning to power.

The other way of taking power without going to people is defection from Pakatan Rakyat.

But Pakatan Rakyat has 43 assembly members compared to 13 on Umno’s side.

It is an uphill task, unless PAS members defect.

Unfortunately, such plans were put paid to as too much water has flowed below the bridge for the entire 13 PAS assembly men to defect.

Pakatan Rakyat has 30 assembly members in its side verses UMNO’s 26.

Selangor is the jewel in the Malaysian political crown.

Umno feels it is worth the while doing the unethical and illegal political defection attempt.

But now that their plans are slowly becoming apparent and having their hands soiled thus far, can they get anything?

It must be embarrassing facing the prospect of gaining naught and they could become more desperate.

Amply qualified

In Perak they were successful because of a two-member difference but in Selangor it is a different ball game all together.

Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail received her early education in St. Nicholas Convent School, Alor Star.

She continued her education at Tunku Kurshiah College in Seremban before she went on to study medicine at the Royal College of surgeons in Ireland where was awarded a gold medal in obstetrics and gynaecology and she later graduated as a qualified ophthalmologist.

Dr. Wan Azizah served as a government doctor for 14 years before deciding to focus on volunteering work, when her husband, Anwar Ibrahim was appointed the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia in1993.

As part of her voluntary pursuits, she became a patron of MAKNA (Majlis Kanser Nasional in that period and became the second woman to lead a political party in Malaysia’s history. Ganga Nayar founded and became the first president of the Malaysian workers’ party in 1978.

To say that she will be remotely controlled by her husband is a political irony and belittling the effort of promoting a woman into the forefront of politics in Malaysia.

A woman who also happens to be the wife of  Anwar Ibrahim seems to be egging on Umno and its allies into fabricating excuses and blocking the Pakatan Rakyat candidate.

The Selangor crisis looks like it is going to be a ling drawn affair.

Umno is bent on creating more confusion with the tacit support of main stream media.

And they will blame it all on Pakatan Rakyat.

The Prime Minister has already expressed his support for outgoing MB Khalid Ibrahim and his displeasure for a new woman MB who has the majority support in state assembly.

The palace seems to have contrived the constitutional crisis to serve Umno’s purposes.

The deputy PM Muhiddin Yassin, has already reaffirmed that BN state assemblymen will stand with Khalid all the way.

Umno had, in the past, successfully countered the Kajang move to replace Khalid and the pro-Umno faction in PAS are still supporting him.

Umno, the puppet master, has made the constitution irrelevant in the Selangor crisis.

Selangor voters have made their choice loud and clear and it is up to the federal government and palace to accept and respect the choice.

The ball, they say, is in Umno’s court.