azlan Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim welcomes the Election Commission (EC) to hold a simultaneous election for the state and the Parliament, despite his previous vow to dissolve the state assembly earlier.

He said that it is the rights of the menteri besar, the Sultan and the state assembly for the dissolution, but that the timing of the election is in the hands of the EC.

“If it happens to coincide with Parliament, (then it’s) well and good. I think we (would) love to have a ‘joint election’,” said Khalid in a press conference today, adding that the authorities must hold the general election within 60 days after the dissolution.

Last week, Khalid said that he would first be meeting with several Pakatan assemblypersons within the week before deciding on the dissolution of the state assembly. It will probably be after Chap Goh Meh (Feb 24), which is an earlier date if compared to the Parliament.

NONE Two days later, EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof ( left ) said that there will be no separate state and general election despite the threat by the state government.

Nevertheless, Khalid noted that he hasn't met with the Pakatan assemblypersons to discuss about this matter, and refused to divulge on whether had met with other Pakatan leaders.

   

“No, I have not (met the assemblypersons) yet. Because we don’t want to be speculating, we will announce it with the assemblypersons instead,” he added.

When asked whether he will insist on dissolving the state assembly irregardless of the Sultan’s approval, he replied, “I will only announce if I have resolved all the issues.”

Khalid reiterated that he will announce “certain things” after Chap Goh Meh, and claimed that Selangor is looking forward to the election.       

“Why (do we look forward)? Because the mandate was given to us for five years, we do not want to exceed that mandate, that’s all,” he said.

The date of expiration for the Selangor state assembly is April 21, 2013, while the Parliament is set to dissolve by April 28, 2013.

Klang’s third bridge to continue irregardless

On a separate matter, Khalid stressed that the construction of the Klang third bridge will be continuing even if Pakatan loses power after the next election, as the state has enough reserves to back the RM300 million project.

NONE “It will be continued, because the state has enough money. Yes, it’s a guaranteed thing,” he said.

Khalid ( left ) stated the importance of the state having this many reserves.

“So if I were to announce the third bridge and say that its funding will be coming from the federal government, I think that there is probably a one percent chance of the federal government saying yes, or they would simply ignore my statement altogether.

“But now when I announce it, I am able to say that - irrespective of the federal government’s funding - the bridge will be built,” he quipped.

The project was announced by Khalid last year when he tabled the state’s budget for 2013. The state currently has more than RM2.5 billion of reserves.