Minority Rule

The Raja Muda of Perak has made his choice.

PAS state secretary Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin will be Perak’s new Mentri Besar. Nizar, 51, is an engineer by qualification and a businessman by occupation.

DAP’s state chief Ngeh Koo Kam, a lawyer, will be one of two Deputy MBs, a first in the state’s history. Ngeh, 47, is a lawyer.

The second deputy has yet to be named but it’s understood that he will come from the Indian community.

According to a report by The Star, DAP’s central executive committee is flabbergasted by this decision since PAS has the least representative in the state legislative council.

Apparently, DAP leader Lim Kit Siang has announced the party will boycott the swearing-in ceremony of the new MB on Thursday as a sign of protest.

An unreasonable gesture?

It is unclear what has influenced Raja Nazrin’s decision. It would be helpful if the people of the state heard from the Raja Muda himself.

While it is said the choice of Mentri Besar is the Ruler’s prerogative, it would be naïve for one to assume in today’s political scenario that such a choice is made without the influence of rivalling political forces.

Talk is PAS members kicked up a big ruckus over Ngeh’s candidature as the Mentri Besar because he is a Christian.

If this were true, then it is damning indeed and proof of PAS’ bigotry towards Malaysians of the non-Muslim faiths. It will also be strong evidence of PAS’ insincerity in honouring the coalition’s agenda of working towards a fairer and less racially divided Malaysia. If it were true.

Perak, with its almost 50-50 ratio of Malays and non-Malays, is in dire need of assurance that it will not be thrown back into the Dark Ages of racialism and cronyism. Will this decision sit well?

Raja Nazrin has had to make a tough call. And he has chosen to take an unbeaten path, making Perak probably the first state in the history of Malaysia to be led by a Mentri Besar from the smallest minority party within the state.

Can Mohamed Nizar Jamaluddin hold things together and be a leader for every man, woman and child in Perak or will things fall apart like an unset jello?

Only time will tell. The next few weeks will be very interesting.