Just 48 hours to go for the Tuesday deadline to expire.
That’s the deadline given by Anwar for the PM to convene Parliament for an emergency sitting.
I am getting a little “chatter” which suggests that something could be brewing… I can imagine there is probably a lot of behind-the-scenes activity going on in KL.
Earlier, I had been informed that Anwar was expected to be in Permatang Pauh this weekend.
Instead, it was Wan Azizah who showed up for a little constituency work as Anwar was tied up in KL with strategising.
One blogger at the scene told me that reporters asked her whether Anwar had sent a letter to the Agong and whether Anwar would be meeting the Agong.
Wan Azizah wasn’t saying much.
“She appeared coy, like she knew something and wanted to say it, but wasn’t at liberty to tell just yet,” said a blogger at the scene. “She didn’t look worried at all.”
Meanwhile, there appears to be a battle going on within Umno among the Mahathir-inspired reactionary forces and the remnants of the Abdullah camp.
The other battle shaping up is between Najib, the eventual leader of a post-Abdullah Umno (assuming he prevails) and the Anwar-led Pakatan.
Abdullah faces a stark choice. Will he be forced to hand over power by 9 Oct, as some have suggested, with his legacy in tatters? Or is there a way out to ensure that the reforms he once promised but failed to deliver can still be fulfilled even without him being in power? It would not have failed to have escaped his notice how Zaid was feted as a hero after he quit the Cabinet on a matter of principle.
“Political alignments are changing fast,” a veteran KL-based political commentator told me.
With Abdullah facing some tough choices, will Anwar succeed in persuading him to convene Parliament before the scheduled 13 October sitting?
The other big question now: Will the Agong look favourably on Anwar’s request?
In recent months, we have seen the royalty flexing their muscles and exerting their influence in the selection of state chief ministers. I would hazard a guess that they could be playing a significant role this time around as well.
The next few days will see whether the impossible can become possible. From what I hear, things are “progressing well”…
The next 48 hours could be crucial.
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The Diabolical Brilliance of Badawi
Many people will remember that Pak Lah was given a record mandate in his first elections as PM. He was Mr Clean and vowed to transform the dire straits of the Malaysia he inherited. The first order of business was freeing a man who was meted gross injustice under Mahathir. With Anwar out and free, Pak Lah set about loosening the shackles of the media. So far so good. But when he laid hands on the corrupt wihtin the ranks of UMNO, he met with criminal resistance! And so began his taste of the ‘brick wall’ that Zaid has alluded to. Some must surely remember Pak Lah’s lament: “I am working alone”.
I believe it was at this point that he was divinely inspired to do what he knew he must do to save the country from certain doom: Destroy the monster to save the rakyat.
And therefore ever since, every move to thwart any opposition to the government seems to be the worst move the government could have taken, some outright foolish, ill-thought, and counter productive.
There is no measure taken by the ruling elite that can be said to have benefited them – the most damaging being the use of the ISA and the cruel fuel price hike. Is it not amazing that UMNO was on self-destruct mode? Was this by design?
While the rakyat seemed to have matured with the media opening up, the internet blossoming and freedom of expression being exercised in hitherto unimagined ways – the pillow being presented to Pak Lah comes to mind – the government seemed to backtrack and become cloistered in an ever imploding sphere. Was this mere coincidence?
The highhanded manner of the police, the arrogance of the ruling elite were at a ‘no-holds-barred’ exhibition. The quotes of Maidin, Nazri, Hamid, Khir, Ahmad still sear in rememberence.
As the curtain falls on UMNO/BN, one must wonder: Was it all mere coincidence or the diabolical brilliance of one true Malaysian? I believe it is the latter, of one who is willing to go to hell for a heavenly cause!
New Malaysian
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To Zappa,
Yes, if the government would have known the huge change in voters, they would not let the 5 states fell onto PR. They would have used even DIRTIER approach to divide up the regions. I have a friend with family of 5 (same address in KL), and all of them went to different voting regions; and one of them even sent to Terengganu, you think this is “NORMAL” and “FAIR”???
The situation is bad enough that I can’t consider or think much on how good it would be to be ruled by PR. I am willing to give it a chance, and just get rid of the current government, the “racits”, “corrupted” and “bias’ government. I guess people who are still supporting the current government are those benefiting from its policy, are you???
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