It was exactly seven months ago this day that the March 8 political tsunami struck the Malaysian political landscape, resulting in today as D-Day for Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi – whether he will defend the Umno presidency.
Yesterday was a day of utter confusion with conflicting news throughout the day that Abdullah had been persuaded to “fight it out” including against his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, with all the weapons available to him to defend the posts of Umno President and Prime Minister.
The general consensus, however, is that “sanity will finally prevail” and Abdullah will succumb to the Umno Supreme Council pressures for an orchestrated five-month exit as Prime Minister by not contesting for the top Umno post.
If so, then the two most pertinent questions are:
1. Is it going to be an honourable or dishonourable exit for the fifth Prime Minister? and
2. Will the five-month succession interregnum pave the way for an end to the worsening multiple national crisis of confidence in the past seven months or whether it will plunge the country into a deeper rut and rot?
When he was asked on Monday what would be his focus in his remaining days as prime minister, regardless of when he decides to leave, Abdullah said he would use the time to make good on his promises to the rakyat.
He said: “There are uncompleted things, such as reforms I promised the rakyat.
“I will undertake them. Of course, I have to do it because what I promised, I will deliver.”
It is sad and pathetic to see Abdullah end his five-year premiership in a mirage – cocooned in total denial.
If Abdullah cannot deliver his many reform pledges when he was at the height of his power as a result of the greatest electoral victory and mandate ever won by any Prime Minister in half-a-century in March 2004, what could he achieve when he is being forced out of office after suffering the most ignominous electoral defeat in Umno and Barisan Nasional history?
It is a million times more difficult for Abdullah to deliver his reform pledges once he has announced his exit-plan today than when he won the landslide electoral mandate in the March 2004 general election.
But this could still be done, if Abdullah is prepared to “do the impossible” and use his last five months as Prime Minister to honour all the unfulfilled pledges and promises of the past five years – but this must be evident from today’s Cabinet meeting as well as the first day of the reconvened Parliament on Monday, October 13, 2008.
This will be an honourable exit for the fifth Prime Minister. It will be Abdullah’s tryst with destiny.
Can Abdullah embark on such an “impossible mission” in his last five months as Prime Minister, when there will be a de facto Prime Minister who will immediately and increasingly be more powerful than the de jure Prime Minister?
#1 by Jeffrey on Thursday, 9 October 2008 - 11:24 am
Loh’s comments on the ‘snag’ is not really, in my view, the real snag.
Loh’s premise is that AAB would have the support of all the MPs in BN only if he remains the President of UMNO, which I think what he implies is that the BN’s MPs’ main allegiance is not to principles but the benefit of loyalty to the position of Prime Minister that dispenses the largese and patronage benefits (a fair comment, in my view).
However Loh, what I am saying is that the convention of UMNO’s presidency = Prime Ministership no more holds true today if 82 PR’s MPs solidly support en bloc a BN candidate like (sau) Ku Li whose 30+ or 40 MPs (assuming he has such support) could still support Ku Li when he is not UMNO’s president precisely because notwithstanding not being UMNO president, he could, with PR’s support, become the Prime Minister, remaining still the fountain of patronage to them…
One of the real snags is basically the unchangeable mindsets of people (both in BN & PR) who are unable to dissociate the leader/president of dominant party in the ruling coalition in party terms from that of prime Minister in government terms…..And yet many people – at least in this blog – are complaining why should UMNO be final arbiter of who is Prime Minister when UMNO may have lost much of its legitimacy to rule! I am arguing here for a PM to hold its own from majority of parliamentarians as people’s representatives to circumvent the convention.
There is much to be said in favour of what Ku Li said about the need of a national coalition govt constituted from both BN and PR to forge consensus to lead the country forward against the threats and travails of the challenging economic environment ahead.
If this is not immediately possible, the next nearest is some one (say) hypothetically Ku Li who although could not summon sufficient support within his own party to be President could however summon sufficient support of MPs from some of his own party as well as other BN component parties which together with 100% of PR’s MPs (assuming that is the case) would aggregate the majority in Dewan Rakyat to meet the constitutional criteria of holding the post of Prime Ministership better than any other contenders in UMNO.
The other real snag is that that cannot happen – even assuming it is good for the country – because PR’s Anwar would also want to realise his ambition as PM in competition with Ku Li even if in Anwar’s case, he could not get the 30+ BN MPs to defect in support of PR’s motion of no confidence on BN, whereas in the other case of Ku Li, he might be able to get the 30+ BN MPs to support notwithstanding he is not UMNO’s president.
#2 by Swarnabumi on Thursday, 9 October 2008 - 12:15 pm
Well there is nothing much to feel about Pak Lah finale.He had enjoyed himself, messed-up billions of ringgit and made the rakyat life miserable with his ” super” administration skills. And his appointed successor , another 2 x 5 . The rakyat don’t have much hope on him either!
For the politicians it is very easy . Just pick-up an A4 paper and write “I have sacrificed for the nation 35 years. I resign”. The future generation must foot all the billions that went down the drain! Anyway they don’t thank the rakyat for the 35 years of perks and luxury they were enjoying at the expenses of the rakyat in their resignation letter.
#3 by Loh on Thursday, 9 October 2008 - 2:20 pm
Ku Li will be waiting until 8 November 2008 to decide whether he would ever be PM through UMNO before deciding to seek alternate route. Anwar should be happy to be DPM with Ku Li as PM comes December 2008.
#4 by Jeffrey on Thursday, 9 October 2008 - 4:34 pm
It may be true that Anwar might have to accept being DPM with Ku Li as PM comes December 2008 in case where Anwar does not have the numbers to fell the govt.
Otherwise whoever takes over as PM with whom there is no deal or understanding with Anwar, it implies Anwar is vulnerable to arrests thereafter well before the next elections 4 years down the road.
So Anwar & Pakatan Rakyat really haven’t a choice (if they have been bullshitting on having the numbers of BN defectors that they don’t actually have).
The only way is to strike deal with one UMNO PM aspirant like (say) Ku Li and proceed on basis of article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution to support that person as PM with understanding that when such a person becomes PM, he would work to form national government, bringing in Anwar/PR into the power equation – or something along those lines.