Government of Selangorians, by Selangorians, for Selangorians

In a democratic system, the ruling government must reflect the will of the people. The elected representatives of the people are the ones who should decide on behalf of the citizens who should lead the government.

It will be totally unacceptable to have the position of the prime minister to be decided by a foreign power. Likewise, it is unacceptable that the decision of who should be the menteri besar (MB) is decided by those not elected by the people of the state.

Until there is a new state election, the members of the Selangor state assembly have the mandate to decide on who should be the MB of Selangor. This is how a parliamentary system based on the Westminster model works.

It is unbefitting and immoral to have outsiders making this decision.  These outsiders can have their views and opinion but their preference is just that. They have no right to impose it on the people of Selangor. Whatever reasons they have, they should just keep it to themselves.

It is an affront to the sovereignty of Selangorians to have others impose their will on Selangor. Selangorians do not go around deciding who should be the Menteri Besar of Kelantan or Terengganu. It is only civil that the people of these states do not interfere with the choice of Selangorians.

Unlike Iran, where the mullahs get to decide who can stand for election based on their own idiosyncratic criteria, Malaysia is not a theocratic state.
Sometimes the decision on who would be the best leader is a subjective one. Some make the decision based on the personal qualities of the leader. Some may make the decision based on the team which the leader brings.

Within the framework of Islamic jurisprudence, the decision on who should be a leader is an "ijtihad". Ijithadi situations accept that people can have differences of opinion. The important thing is to respect the differences of opinion. Just because someone has a different opinion does not mean the person is deviant or a traitor.

In a democracy, the decision on leadership will be based on the preference of the majority.

In the case of Selangor, it should be based on the choice of the majority of the elected state assemblymen. The decision should not be based on the dictates of a minority of outsiders.

The people of Selangor must protect the sovereignty of this state. Any attempt by outsiders to impose their will on Selangor is as offensive and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Selangor should have a government of Selangorians, chosen by Selangorians and for Selangorians. Selangor's future should not be held hostage by the political ambition of outsiders. Neither should be it determined by quirky theocratic considerations and rules. – August 16, 2014.

* By Rozhan Othman