Gelagat Pengundi DAP Balakong Bila Kekontangan Air - Anwar Tak Salah, Yang Salah Khalid Ibrahim

Kini telah lebih 10 hari kekontangan air di Balakong dan mengundang kepada demontrasi penduduk setempat.

Plakad yang terselindung di sebalik lelaki di atas sebenarnya berbunyi "Tropical Rain Forest Country - Why No Water?", yang ditujukan kepada pemegang konsesi air Selangor, Syabas. Hal ini mencerminkan seolah-olah mereka tidak menerima alasan penurunan paras air di empangan di musim kemarau.

Rumusan pakar selepas 'Krisis Air Selangor 1998', mencadangan pembinaan empangan mega dan telah pun diterima serta diluluskan oleh Kerajaan BN Selangor kerana menurut mereka bekalan air terawat di Selangor hanya dapat menampung permintaan sehingga 2014, jika bersandarkan fasiliti yang sedia ada. Namun, Kerajaan PR Selangor telah membekukan kelulusan berkenaan, dan sebaliknya menganggap pendapat pakar berkenaan tidak benar.

Akhirnya, Januari lalu MB Selangor TS Khalid Ibrahim telah mengumumkan penyerahan penstrukturan air Selangor diserahkan kepada kerajaan pusat.

Keputusan Khalid ini tidak digemari oleh kalangan dalaman PR, memandangkan mereka telah bertungkus lumus melalui demontrasi, perhimpunan, memorandum dan pelbagai ikhtiar lain untuk menidakkan keputusan awal kerajaan BN Selangor.

Dengan mencipta PRK Kajang oleh PKR dan meletakkan DS Anwar Ibrahim sebagai calon, dilihat sebagai proses untuk menurunkan Khalid dari kerusi MB.

Khalid kini didakwa telah dibeli, apabila berkompromi apabila berunding penyelesaian luar mahkamah berhubung hutang RM60 juta dengan Bank Islam.

Surat pembaca yang hanya dengan nama Pembaca Prihatin telah menulis dan disiarkan oleh bebera portal, seperti The Edge, Malaysia Chronicle dan termasuk Malaysikini;

I am getting particularly concerned that Malaysiakini continues to highlight on speculation about a water deal behind the Kajang Move while turning a blind eye to the disquiet in the market of what will be the most controversial out-of-court settlement between Khalid Ibrahim and Bank Islam.

So far, only a handful of online portals have covered the issue. Even then, it was not pursued with the same vigour that it should have been given the implication of the settlement.

Just to recap, The Edge Financial Daily had queried Khalid on the terms of the out-of-court settlement because rumour has it that Bank Islam withdrew a lawsuit against the Selangor menteri besar in exchange for a haircut to the tune of RM80 million. Khalid had once borrowed about RM60 million from Bank Islam to purchase shares and when the share price tumbled, he ended up owing that much (plus interest) to Bank Islam.

It is a common knowledge in banking circles that the out-of-court settlement is brokered by Rashid Manaf, who is well known for his connection as Daim Zainuddin’s former lawyer and Umno’s crony through Renong and other transactions.

What is perhaps not known is how Khalid had completely kept all discussions on the settlement from his lawyer, Malik Imtiaz, who was not in the know.
This took place at the most opportune time - after Selangor has announced that it was willing to surrender its water assets to the federal government and Khalid’s reticence in dealing with the manufactured race and religion issues in Selangor.

To the inquisitive mind of normal Malaysians, the series of developments is arguably highly suspicious and warrants a closer scrutiny especially on the part of Khalid, at least for the sake of transparency and integrity.
When The Edge Financial Daily put this question to Khalid, he was quoted as dismissively saying that it was his private transaction that has nothing to do with the state or the party.

When Haris Ibrahim began to publish the issue on his blog, I feel obliged to write to online portals because for the sake of transparency and integrity, Khalid and Bank Islam need to explain what are the basis and terms of the settlement.

Let the people decide for themselves whether there was any deal involved as it is necessary to clear the air immediately. Otherwise, rumours that Kajang Move was initiated because Khalid has been compromised will continue to become the talk of the town.

Which is why I think it is only fair that online portals likeMalaysiakini and others pursue the matter more vigorously than it pursues the hypothetical speculation of alleged deal on the water deal.

I understand that Khalid’s image is good in the eyes of the public. To safeguard that image, he must be subjected to a public scrutiny to explain, especially when a broker closely linked to Umno such as Rashid Manaf is involved.

I now await to see whether Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider, The Malaymail Online, The Malaysian Chronicle, fz.com, The Heat, FreeMalaysiaToday and others will run the story.

If they do not (at which I would not be surprised), perhaps the bigger problem remains the biased media, whichever side they support.

Ini bermakna, kem Anwar sedang menekan Khalid untuk memberi laluan kepada Anwar.

Khusus kepada isu air yang dihadapi sekarang, ia tidak akan ada kesudahan dan penderitaan akan terus dihadapi oleh rakyat Selangor.

Jika Anwar menjadi MB, perkara pertama yang bakal dilakukan olehnya ialah membatalkan keputusan Khalid yang menyerahkan penstrukturan semula air Selangor kepada kerajaan pusat.