Deputy MB issue on hold in Perak, Selangor

(The Straits Times) - SEVERAL issues remained unsettled three weeks after the opposition coalition won in five states, including the posts of deputy menteri besar and how to repair ties with the federal government.

The governments of Selangor and Perak have yet to appoint any deputy menteri besar, or deputy chief ministers.

Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim has said that he may not appoint a deputy to prevent bickering between the coalition parties.

This is despite pressure from the Democratic Action Party (DAP) to appoint one of its leaders as his number two.

Tan Sri Khalid is from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), while the third coalition member is Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).

In Perak, the initial plan was to have two deputy menteris besar, one each from the Chinese and Indian communities, but there has been no word on nominees up to now, and politicians there gave vague answers when questioned by reporters.

Another key issue to be settled is how to improve ties with the central government led by Barisan Nasional (BN).

This would ensure that federal projects such as the building of roads and schools, as well as other investments, are not delayed.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, from the DAP, has said that he planned to meet Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi on Thursday to thrash out these issues.

Another issue that could hamper the smooth running of the new states won by DAP-PKR-PAS is their different ideologies.

The centre-left Chinese-

based DAP has a vastly different ideology from PAS, which has in its constitution the formation of an Islamic state.

Bridging the two is the multiracial but Malay-led PKR.

Although these issues have not led to open protracted disputes, they might surface once the euphoria over winning five states is over.