If Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Azmin Ali leaves the party as he is widely speculated to do if he is not elected as the next Selangor Menteri Besar, the party will be crippled.

This is the opinion of political analysts who were commenting on the tussle to become Selangor’s next Menteri Besar between incumbent Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and Azmin, who has allegedly been eyeing the post for years.

Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) School of International Studies dean Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani said PKR will be immensely affected if Azmin leaves the party.

“The impact would be so great that the party will be crippled because Azmin has a strong influence in the party.

“If he decides to leave just because he is not elected as the Menteri Besar, then he is not really a fighter for PKR as the act is seen as being selfish,” he told Astro Awani.

Mohd Azizuddin also said Abdul Khalid is a better candidate to hold the Menteri Besar post.

“Abdul Khalid has strong backing within the PR coalition especially from PAS and DAP. During his tenure as the Selangor Menteri Besar, he maintained the state’s economy well.

“He also has massive support from the people of Selangor. He should be continuing his service there,” he said.

Agreeing on the matter is political analyst Dr. Ahmad Atory Hussein who said that PKR and maybe Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will crumble if Azmin decides to leave.

“The impact will be immense as Azmin is one of the founder of the party. If he leaves, the party will be weak.

“However, since the party has many other potential leaders, he may be quickly replaced. Who knows, the party may even pick Andul Khalid to replace Azmin as the deputy president,” he said.

Sinar Harian however reported yesterday that Azmin denied the rumours that he would be leaving the party if Abdul Khalid is elected as the next Menteri Besar.

“I will not leave this noble cause and would never betray the trust of the people who want change.

“PKR is synonymous with my spirit and the principles of my fight,” he was quoted as saying.

In a press conference today, Azmin said the next Selangor Menteri Besar should not be a “lame duck” who allows himself to be led by others.

Azmin had created a controversy after the general election which saw Selangor falling back into the hands of PR when he used his twitter account to openly criticise the PR coalition for holding the massive rally yesterday.

Azmin tweeted, “Rakyat letih dengan asakan politik melampau. Terima hukuman, muhasabah diri, akui kelemahan, maju ke hadapan, tumpu rakyat bukan kerabat.” (The people are tired over the excessive political pressure. Accept the punishment, judge yourselves, admit weakness, progress and focus on the people, not kinship).

He did not attend the rally which saw hundreds of thousands of PR supporters turning up at the Kelana Jaya stadium after the recently concluded general election left many of them unhappy.

Later today, Azmin, re-elected as Gombak MP and Bukit Antrabangsa assemblyman in the polls, would be holding a press conference to reveal all about the state of affairs in the party and what happened during the Permatang Pauh by-election in 2008.