By-election required for Tengku Zafrul’s appointment as Selangor MB, says analyst

SHAH ALAM – A by-election would need to be held if PKR intends to appoint Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz as the Selangor Menteri Besar since he is not a member of the State Legislative Assembly.

Universiti Malaya political analyst Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub clarified that no provision in the state constitution permitted a non-legislative member to serve as Menteri Besar.

“The Menteri Besar must be an elected state legislative member. Therefore, a by-election would need to be held to enable Tengku Zafrul to become a state legislative member, paving the way for his appointment as Selangor MB.

“If they had insisted on appointing a Menteri Besar who was not an elected state legislative member, another option would have been to amend the state constitution,” he told Sinar when contacted yesterday.

Tawfik pointed out that if PKR had wanted to position Tengku Zafrul as the new Menteri Besar, they would have needed a ‘Zafrul Move’ to secure a State Assembly seat for the former Umno Selangor Treasurer.

“This is because I don’t think Umno would have given up or sacrificed their seat if Tengku Zafrul had joined PKR.

“Hence, PKR itself would have needed to relinquish one of the seats it won in the recent Selangor State Election.

“Potential seats for Tengku Zafrul to contest might have included urban constituencies such as Lembah Jaya, Ampang, currently held by rapper and composer Syed Ahmad Syed Abdul Rahman Alhadad, also known as Altimet.

“Another potential seat that could have been vacated is Sungai Tua, held by Amirudin Shari himself. Amirudin currently holds two seats: Gombak in Parliament and DUN Sungai Tua.

“If the party had instructed Amirudin to vacate Sungai Tua, he would have had to comply. Amirudin could then have been appointed as as Federal Minister as part of a succession plan,” he added.

He stated that if Tengku Zafrul had been appointed Menteri Besar, the timing would have aligned, as Tengku Zafrul was set to complete his second term as a Senator in the Dewan Negara by December 2025.

Tawfik also opined that Tengku Zafrul’s selection as Selangor MB could have garnered public support due to his experience and political stance, which was perceived as non-aligned with any particular individual or political figure.

He highlighted that Tengku Zafrul’s tenure as Finance Minister under the administrations of the 8th prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the 9th prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, as well as his current ministerial role under Anwar’s administration, demonstrated his capability.

“This background enabled the Kota Raja Umno Division Chief to connect more extensively with the grassroots and party members,” he said.

According to him, Selangor was akin to a "mini Malaysia" due to its rapid development and significant GDP contribution.

The state requires someone with economic expertise and vision to drive progress.

He also pointed out Tengku Zafrul’s close ties with the Selangor royal institution, as he was often seen attending state programmes and events alongside Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, as another advantage.