By now, many are thinking – and worried that – it’s a foregone conclusion that Najib will become the next PM.
But Tengku Razaleigh reminds us the Agong and Parliament have a crucial constitutional role to play:
Let us understand very clearly the transitional situation we are in.
1. The incumbent Prime Minister is about to resign as he has solemnly promised to by the end of this month.
2. On the appointed day (which like so many things in this administration remains a mystery) the Prime Minister will tender his resignation and that of his cabinet to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. With this the government of the day comes to an end.
3. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong will appoint the next Prime Minister at his sole discretion from among the members of the elected lower house of Parliament, the Dewan Rakyat. His Majesty’s choice is guided by his own judgment of who among the members “commands the confidence” of a majority the members of parliament.4. The new Prime Minister will name his cabinet and form the next government.
5. The Agong’s choice may at any time be tested by a vote of confidence in the Dewan Rakyat. If the Prime Minister is rejected by the Dewan, the King will have to re-appoint another person.
Razaleigh goes on the discuss the implications:
1. Whatever undertakings the present prime minister has made with his deputy or with his party about his successor are external to the constitutional process. To think otherwise is to imagine that the prime ministership is a private property to be passed on from one potentate to another at whim. The behaviour of some leaders might have conveyed this unfortunate impression, and caused the public to find the party arrogant and out of touch.
2. The fact that the President of UMNO has also been appointed as Prime Minister is only a convention, as Tun Dr Mahathir, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz have asserted recently. This convention was based on the assumption of Umno’s absolute dominance of Parliament. That condition no longer holds.
3. Statements in the media that it is the right of Umno and BN to dictate to the Yang Dipertuan Agong who should be Prime Minister deny the constitutional right of the Yang Dipertuan Agong, and deprive him of perhaps the most important of his few discretionary powers. Such statements turn the Agong’s role into a rubber stamp for the decisions of a political party. I am waiting for Umno to strongly denounce such statements, especially as we have recently rediscovered our concern for the rights of the Rulers.
So it’s not over till it’s over…
Related posts:
Like a cornered … getting lots of C4.
The good thing about going to hell is when it’s all over there won’t be any illusions left.
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Dear Anil,
The son of our 2nd PM has now “Destroyed” his own Malay, Muslim Hadhari party UMNO beyond “Redemption”
Even this BOZO Muhyiddin is still in Euphoric Denial Mode Dreamland….
This Incoming Deputy President Wannabe must be really “Desperate” to do his “Overkill” on his rival contender Ali Rustum & “Praising” his “Wannabe Incoming President”….
More so for his “Political Survival & his Business Agenda”, than for his Wannabe Incoming President, UMNO & the rayaat.
Therefore it would be his proposal for the invitation to Mahathir & not Pak Lah’s.
He badly needs Mahathir (More so his & Mukriz’s supporters) to be around as “Mentor” to his “Wannabe Incoming President” & himself (which he ochestrated for, in March & not June as agreed earlier by his two bosses)….
Now that Mukriz Lost to KJ….
How can Najib & Mahyuddin NOW expect Mahathir & Mukriz’s supporters to still support his camp….
Sad to see Najib & Mahyuddin be so blind & dumb to do their “Ostrich
Mentality Act” without any regard to the “Resultant Backlash….
Can you imagine the “Impact” NOW….
Mahathir’s, Ali Rustam’s, Toyo’s & Mukhriz’s supporters NOW turning their backs on Mahyuddin….
To NOW support Mat Tyson to “Defeat” Mahyuddin!!!
All their Grandoise Plans of ALL their Incoming Wannabes will Backfire….
Remember “What goes round, will come round to “Haunt” these Desperate UMNO Ketuanan …”
What I call “COLLATERAL DAMAGE” to their own “UMNO/BN Ketuanan” Warlords & their supporters….To DELIVER….
A “Royal Salute & Check-mate SLAP in UMNO’S/BN’s face.
Yesterday we saw Mukriz’s supporters “Protest” on the results.
Yes, the Police had to “Intervene” between the factions….at the UMNO AGM!!!
Today the Police & FRUs are on “Standby” & anticipating “More Protests” when the results come out later….
Through “Devine” intervention, UMNO, its Leaders & their Mercenary BOZOs are now “Outdoing & Destroying” each other with their “Power, Greed &…”
I will say it again….
It may happen sooner rather than later….
What Wannabe committed in Perak….will be “Done onto himself”
“Devine Intervention” works “Wonders”….
& they are their own “Worst Enemies.”
We will see the Powers of Devine Intervention at work again on or before 28th Mar….
There (could) be a “MAJOR Revolt” of their own UMNO/BN Ketuanan downstream Leaders & supporters against their UMNO/BN Ketuanan Incoming UMNO President & Incoming Deputy, etc at the coming Assembly!
With the “Implosion of UMNO’s Incoming President’s “Hung AGM” on 28th Mar….
Let us all sit back & watch the fun “Implosion” on or before the 28th Mar….
Now you see why Pak lah, KJ, DSAI, etc are so “Relaxed & Cool” to the AGM….
Pak Lah’s 105 MPs & DSAI’s 77 MPs = 182MPs on their “Home Run”
They will be the ones having the “Last Laugh”!
All our prayers to God Almighty seeking “Sanity, Truth, Justice, Freedom & Equality” will be answered.
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K… I bet K stands for Kenneth, as in Kenneth Eswaran, the guy who introduced the Swamiji from Kerala to R & N…
Well, it’s hard to understand how ANYBODY who isn’t completely diseased on the soul level … could possibly endorse the likes of Najib Razak as PM!
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>>This is an idiotic argument. There is no objective attempt to discuss the issue, with personal agenda blinding common sense and logic.<<
Which part of the above posting (quoting from Ku Li’s blog) defies common sense and logic? Or maybe the consti or the law?
Care to share? Maybe you did espouse your points but it escaped our attention.
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Dear Antares
I breaks my heart to disappoint and report to you that my real name is not Kenneth nor I have any association with that particular gentleman. In fact my pseudonym not even is K. Unfortunately for some unexplicable reason Anil had decided to censor and shorten it to “K” even though it is neither vulgar nor offensive.
Well, I am equallly troubled on how anyone can accuse someone of a murderous and monsterous crime based on SD issued by some delusional fat blogger who has the credibility of a pirated DVD peddler.
mut : To answer you, it is very simple really. The PM of the day must have the confidence of the majority of the Parliament. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure who the person is. When BN won the 12th GE, the same process was used to re-elect Pak Lah. I didn’t see TRH questioning the HRH Agong on the choice then. Ditto for the state govts. Well the Agong has the descretion to reject the name proposed but if a convicted sodomist (who is waiting for yet another sodomy case) can be the Opposition Leader, I dont see why the HRH would want to reject someone who has no criminal record whatsoever to be the PM. If the HRH bases his decision solely upon the rumors floating and accusations by political rivals, then there no man or woman in the Parliament (from both side of the divide) who would qualify for the post.
The reason why there are so many accusations is very clear. DSAI had been eyeing the PM post for years and he knew that UMNO is the only way for him to achieve the goal. That’s why he didn’t stand in the election or assume the post of the party chief until he was forced to stand in PP due to the Sodomy Part 2 allegations. That is why DSAI never attacked Pak Lah and only focused on Najib, hoping to take over from Pak Lah when he leaves the post. However he was forced to changed his plan when Najib threw a spanner into his works. So that’s the reason DSAI has such venomous anger toward Najib. Obvious he fears Najib will take his revenge when he assumes the PM post. Well, DSAI is right, DSAI’s posterior is toast. Najib will fight tooth and nail on every dirty tricks that DSAI and PR pulls out of the bag. We have been shown a glimpse of what Najib is capable of at Perak when he annihilated PR govt within 3 days. If I am DSAI I would be buying a Turkish Air one-way ticket to Istanbul asap. The Taibans of PAS should be getting on the plane to Iran while LKS,LGE and his racist crew can always find sanctuary down south.
If I am a PR cheerleader, I would be afraid, very afraid indeed. Mr ISA is coming…Hotel Kamunting is beckoning…Operasi Sapu Habis is coming….
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You see, a little criticism goes a long way, K. Your second comment shows how much one can improve if one tries.
It’s not about being born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Good English requires thought and effort, traits which are sorely lacking in those who are giving this country of ours such a laid back image.
Try not to belittle those who do make an effort, but do not have the intelligence that you obviously have, albeit for some unknown reason do not wish to use.
Can I introduce you to the Concise Oxford Dictionary Eleventh Edition which is freely available after you reformat your computer?
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Najib may not be the best option but like it or not, he is the only option we all have at the moment. Anything else would be anarchy. Just look at what is happening in Perak…
For me, the elections ended in March 2008. Let’s stop all these stupid petty politicking and give the guy Najib a chance to fail first before we judge him. If he fails, then let’s crucify him and his coalition at the next polls. What say u?
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Antares,you are definitely head on the nail.I salute you.that guy always try to put contrarian views that was obviously misfired.Nizar is a qualified engineer graduated from England.He had years of experience working in western countries.Surely not ‘katak di bawah tempurung ‘who dream of malaysia bolehland.Nizar is definitely a future leader with high EQs ,definitely destined for greater playing fields.Nga Kor Ming is highly rated for his oratory skills.Just ask Datuk Tajol,the defeated MB.I can attest for that as I had heard his speeches numerous time.Do you know that he won debates competitions since his primary school days to the u. They are leaders in their own rights.
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Dear K,
I seldom make any comments but your dismissive statement really caught my attention. If you demand a more objective view then let us disregard the motivations, agendas, actions and moralities of all the other actors in this Boleh-land Wayang Kulit show…be it LKS, DAP, DSAI, PR, PAS … let us narrow down the focus to Najib alone.
Truth is: NAJIB is simply UNELECTABLE. The office of the PM …the highest in Boleh-land (as is the case with similar top positions in all other countries worldwide) must be held by a person who is not only clean, fair, principled, talented and a focal point in uniting the people (in reality)… but he must also BE SEEN AND PERCEIVED as clean and capable (perception). There are indeed double standards when it comes to the PM…only the creme de la creme can be PM. Sorry, there are no two ways about it. If you can’t adhere to such standards… which is of course higher than everyone else, then you cannot hold the destiny of the country in your hands nor should you be allowed to.
Out of a long list of reasons, I offer a few of the most important ones:
(i) Any principled politician… especially one with self-respect, pride and dignity will rigorously challenge all parties/persons accusing him of wrongdoings (e.g. altantuya, submarine deals, etc) … be it bloggers, the foreign press … even MPs in Parliament (+ dare them to repeat such allegations outside the August House)… and sue all those people to kingdom come. What did Najib do? He kept quiet and made feeble attempts to deny the allegations. For example, by simply stating that “I don’t know and have never met that woman”. Did he provide testimony in court voluntarily to silence all his doubters (at the trial of the 2 UTK personnel)? NO. Did he order an independent inquiry into all previous defense-related deals? NO… and the list goes on and on. Unelectable.
(ii)A PM-to-be’s character must command the respect of the entire nation. So, apart from not responding to the aforementioned allegations, let’s scrutinize the kinds of actions that he actually took …The power grab in Perak + disappearing politicians (would a respectable future PM engineer a “magic show” where dodgy opposition politicians disappear for days… then reappear beside him in a photo session ..smiling and declaring that they have jumped ship?), smses promising things to be “ok” (re Razak Baginda) and the meeting with Saiful which Najib himself claimed was about “a scholarship”(as always, the list goes on and on) …implication? Destroyed the very little respect and confidence he had left with the Malaysian public and offers a good sneak peek into how the country would be run after he becomes PM. Unelectable.
(iii)Every country has their unique sets of conventions. One common prerequisite, though, is obtaining the people’s blessing/approval through the voting process. The Malaysian public voted for BN under the leadership of Badawi in the last general election. This leadership transition is unconventional because it seems that the seat of the highest office in the land can be traded as if it were private property changing hands. Worse still… someone could just “book” and reserve the seat for himself… as though it is an inherited right (Rosmah Mansor: Is it my husband’s turn, it is his destiny… *that woman never fails to make me cringe.. each time I come across her photos/stories). Not only did the general Malaysian electorates not get a say, even UMNO delegates are mere spectators. Just like Gordon Brown in the UK who is often ridiculed by his Tory/Conservative opponents …leadership transitions like these lack legitimacy. If Najib really seeks credibility/legitimacy, then call for fresh elections to get a clear mandate from the people. Being so very close to getting the keys to Putrajaya, of course he won’t. Lack of legitimacy then. Unelectable.
Generally, there are too many scandals linked to him. If any one of those accusations… proven to be true in the courts of law… then he is totally finished (especially his dream of becoming the PM. Also, no one can discount the possibility that these huge cans of worms may lead to the discovery of other cans that we don’t already know.
DS Najib is not dumb. The keys to THAT big office is just a few inches away from his grasp, beckoning and enticing him. Of course he won’t take the risk. No matter what anyone or indeed the whole world… says/thinks or how much humiliation/embarrassment this is causing him. Heck, he even resorted to swearing on the Al-Quran. Here, I quote Tengku Razaleigh:
“Swearing on the Al-Quran is not the way out. Scoundrels have been known to do that. The truth, established through the rigorous and public scrutiny of the law, is the only remedy if an untrue story has gained currency not just internationally but at home among a large section of the people.”
Also, he’s been in UMNO for more than 30 years. In fact, he’s been a core member for a very long time (Cabinet Minister, DPM and long-serving Supreme Council Member). A person who is very much a product of the system is not likely to be able to “change” it drastically. Are you sure a top beer drinker in a beer-drinking club can ask all beer-drinking members to stop drinking beer?
Dear K ..the whole point of this “idiotic” argument (regarding what the Constitution actually states in terms of proper practice as opposed to convention/tradition) is to tell you (in an implicit but yet obvious manner) that your “bent-on-reforms Najib” is ill suited to become the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Unless, of course, if he REALLY clears his name + earnestly implement wide ranging/sweeping reforms. Extremely Unlikely.
K, the agenda is to put good leaders at the helm so that our beloved country will prosper and thrive.
*PS to respond to your last statement – Najib’s credibility has ALREADY been destroyed. Try conducting a survey from Malaysia to Mon**lia to France… also, read related articles in the UK’s Sunday Times, the International Herald Tribune, the French daily, Libération, The Australian Financial Review, the Far Eastern Economic Review and the New York Times.
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Dear Andrew I,
Good points and I do concede to most of it.
However, you got to understand that many of us here are not some bored pensioners with plenty of free time on hand. I believe many people here (like me) are busy working folks who post their comments when they get some free time while at work. We don’t really pause and ponder to think much about grammar, spelling or the structure of the sentences due to the time factor. That would explain the grammatical errors and less than perfect language.
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Well, going by your own justification and the improvements shown in your later comments, perhaps it might be a good idea if you were to post comments when you have more free time, which, contrary to what you might think, is not an exclusive privilege enjoyed by bored pensioners. You might also like to consider taking up a course in time management if time constraints are putting you in a bad light.
Writing properly shows that one is being courteous to others. You’re not one to shove your way to the front of the queue because your time is more valuable than others, are you?
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Andrew…
I see that I had misjudged your motives to be noble…but alas I was wrong.
Initially I accepted your critique in good faith but now I realise that it wasn’t my language that troubles you as much as my stance on certain issues. There are plenty of people here write so poorly that it requires considerable effort to recognise their postings as English. But the fact that you decided to use a highly condescending tone to only one person (myself) betrays an ulterior motive that is certainly not linguistical in nature.
Perhaps I would like to bring to you attention that being condescending to others can also be seen as discourteous.
Well, if one’s personality and the validity of arguments put forward are judged solely by the quality of his/her written English then we would have to disregard 99% of Malaysian bloggers and those who post their comments in blogosphere.
So if you do develop some discomfort while reading comments, may I invite you to disregard them? Also in the spirit of mutual learning, shall I point out to you that in this day of on-line dictionaries, only retired pensioners are still sticking to bulky and inefficient aids such as Concise Oxford Dictionary Eleventh Edition?
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K,
how can najib instill reforms when he himself needs to be reformed?
loads of accusation on najib?
why didn’t the police properly investigate balasubarmaniam’s SD or his u-turn SD? he was last wt the police b4 he made a u-turn SD and then vanished.the fact he had made a u-turn which favored najib under police interrogation was no accusation, it was the truth.the fact that he had vanished from this country where he shud hav bn barred from leaving the country to clear things out is the truth and the police didn’t issue an arrest warrant on him in order to go the root of things is the truth.
najib lied thru his teeth about not knowing saiful bukhari(the man who accused anwar of sodomy) in 1st instance by saying ‘i never knew or met this saiful’. then after wan azizah revealed the photo of saiful wt najib’s aide,najib made a turnaround by saying ‘actually he came to my house seeking help’.both statements came out from najib’s mouth in the MSM that BN owns. that’s no accusation,that’s the truth that najib had LIED over a v serious matter.
the fact is saiful had time n again accused anwar of forced sodomy(rogol liwat) n even swore on the quran on this, yet the AG charged
anwar on a mutual/voluntary sodomy(sukasamasuka). if ‘sukasamasuka’ why anwar ALONE was charged? why no charge of same(till today) towards saiful if indeed such misdeed occurred?
up till today saiful never bothered to ask the AG to amend the charge into his original of ‘forced sodomy’.that’s a fact n no accusation.
DSP Musa safri was indeed najib’s ADC during the altuntaya episode.that’s the fact. that sirul’s n azilah’s testimonies IN COURT that they receiced instructions from Musa safri to help razak baginda… that the court was also informed that C4 was only available from the military. that najib was the defence minister.
that azilah/sirul said in court that they were only ‘kambing hitam’(black sheep). who’s the sheppard? we’l never know since musa safri was never called by the prosecutor or the defence.
TUN M has said loud n clear on MSM owned by BN that najib’s grab of perak was UNLAWFUL.it’s not within the constitution he added.’the only way to unseat a sitting PM or MB is via a vote of no confidence’ which didn take place. wat say u K? that’s the fact n no accusation.
so we’r supposed to believe najib’s “hell-bent on reform”? this man has zero credibility. loads of accusations from PR? don think so
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K, you said: So if you do develop some discomfort while reading comments, may I invite you to disregard them?
Did everyone else, Antares and co, get that?
Great, we all know what to do now. How silly of us not to think of that in the first place. Could have saved ourselves all this trouble.
Cheers.
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On the 1st of April 2009 – Pak Lah will call Najib to his side at a gathering in PWTC, hold his hand up together with Najib’s and say to the congregation – APRIL FOOL….
” I was only joking ’bout handing you the PMship….”…
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Don’t think so somehow.
Perhaps a miracle will happen to change hearts and minds.
Smile.
“Imagine Power To The People” John Lennon.
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