Archive for category Pakatan Rakyat
PR leadership council should meet during Parliament budget session to answer whether PR is still relevant and to restore public confidence
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, Selangor on Monday, 6 October 2014
It is now two weeks since the PKR Deputy President Mohamad Azmin has been sworn in as the Selangor Mentri Besar but the question whether Pakatan Rakyat is still relevant to the hopes and expectations of Malaysians who had looked up to PR for political leadership and change have yet to be answered.
There can be no denial that Pakatan Rakyat suffered its worst crisis and haemorrhage and the most serious blow of public confidence in its six-year existence as a result of the protracted Selangor Mentri Besar crisis, and the jury is still out whether PR can recover from such a major crisis in the 14th General Elections.
The saving grace of the protracted and avoidable Selangor Mentri Besar crisis is that the Selangor Barisan Nasiona/UMNO was so weak that they could not exploit it to their advantage.
I can understand Tun Mahathir’s disappointment, frustration and anger that Selangor UMNO was not able to capitalize on the PR “disarray” and “imbroglio” in the Selangor Mentri Besar crisis – but the next time, the PR is not going to be so lucky. Read the rest of this entry »
PAS badly needs to rejuvenate to stay relevant
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, PAS on Monday, 6 October 2014
By Mohamed Hanipa Maidin
Malaysiakini
Oct 5, 2014
MP SPEAKS It is a great relief the crisis of Selangor MB has finally been laid to rest. But rest assured Pakatan’s nightmares are far from over. A lot of soul searching needs to be done. The top leaders of Pakatan badly need to go to the drawing board again to devise and revise its strategies and priorities in order to reclaim the support from all Malaysians.
As far as I am concerned PAS is the most vulnerable at this juncture. Its flip flop stands in Selangor fiasco puzzled not only its friends in Pakatan but also some of its own leaders. Maybe Umno also shared the same puzzlement so much so it did not feel there was a need to capitalise the issue to its political advantage.
Umno’s inefficiency in capitalising on the Selangor issue appears to have upset former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad. To be fair to Umno, when its political enemies had assumed Umno’ role in self-destructing their own political survival, what more it could do to aggravate the damage?
No doubt PAS is the most important partner in Pakatan. Whatever one may perceive about PAS, the destruction of PAS is not good for Pakatan. In the same vein the strength of PAS is a bonus to Pakatan.
Be that as it may, the partners in Pakatan must galvanise all the options they have to ensure PAS remains in Pakatan. No doubt the only winner if PAS is out from Pakatan would be BN. Read the rest of this entry »
PAS reactionaries strike back
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, PAS on Sunday, 5 October 2014
By Bridget Welsh
Malaysiakini
Sep 22, 2014
COMMENT With emotional outbursts, walkouts and contradictory statements, PAS’ 60th muktamar last week was more of a confrontation rather than a celebration.
With the PAS president referring to the Islamic party’s Pakatan Rakyat partners as “minor enemies” and its members who stood with ally PKR as “lackeys”, it has become evident that PAS under the leadership of Abdul Hadi Awang appears to be no longer a party that can be trusted to listen to the people and work with other parties to bring change to Malaysia.
There is a sense of betrayal among the public, whose hopes have been dashed by a reactionary faction of conservative ulama within PAS who think they are the ‘chosen ones’ – many of whom who have acted in a manner that is neither in keeping with their religious values nor reflects wisdom.
In the wake of this muktamar, where the reactionary forces have dominated the bitter discourse, the Pakatan coalition has suffered a serious blow from within. It appears that the opposition coalition is over.
This conclusion is understandable but – for now – premature.
Pakatan is clearly deeply wounded, but the intensity of the battle inside PAS reveals an ongoing struggle that suggests that there are many more battles ahead and the fight to develop an alternative political narrative is not over. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia’s Opposition Alliance At The Crossroads: Beginning Of The End? – Analysis
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, PAS on Friday, 3 October 2014
Yang Razali Kassim
Eurasia Review
October 2, 2014
The Malaysian Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance is at a crossroads following the recent crisis over the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Selangor: Whether the three partners, PKR, DAP, PAS, part ways or remain together depends on how the surprising turmoil within the Islamist party PAS is resolved.
The Malaysian Islamist party, PAS, held its muktamar or annual congress, in the southern Johor town of Batu Pahat on 18-20 September 2014. Watching the tension-filled muktamar was like waiting for a slow burning fuse to explode, as one after another, the party leadership responded to delegates’ criticisms of their handling of the Selangor Menteri Besar or “MB” crisis. That was essentially an internal squabble of its opposition partner PKR over its attempt to replace its chief minister in Selangor state.
However what began as a PKR problem quickly and surprisingly spread to engulf PAS, primarily because the spillover was not well handled by PAS’ president, Hadi Awang. For some inexplicable reason, Hadi had refused to go along with PKR’s sole nominee for the post, Dr Wan Azizah – its president and wife of Anwar Ibrahim, even though the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance) which also included the DAP had agreed to this. Hadi’s resistance divided PAS internally and even threatened to bring down the entire alliance. Though the PAS leaders defended their positions during the muktamar, they only succeeded in stirring up the deep division between the party’s two pillars – the ulama or clerics and the professionals whose influence has grown over the years. Read the rest of this entry »
Reaffirmation of common policy framework and the consensus principle are the two prerequisites to restore public confidence in Pakatan Rakyat and save it from the fate of being a one general-election wonder
Posted by Kit in Elections, Pakatan Rakyat on Monday, 29 September 2014
Pakatan Rakyat has emerged from its worst crisis in its six-year history.
Pessimists, whether inside the coalition or outside, have grave doubts about the continued viability of Pakatan Rakyat while optimists are a distinct minority.
Meanwhile UMNO/Barisan Nasional leaders and strategists are working overtime to sow dissension and fan division in Pakatan Rakyat.
Yesterday, for instance, the UMNO mouthpiece Mingguan Malaysia carried a special article entitled “Nasib Pas selepas muktamar” alleging that PAS was being “bullied” by DAP while elsewhere in the non-Malay media, MCA and Gerakan leaders continue with their propaganda that DAP was being bullied by PAS.
Both allegations are equally preposterous and untrue, but the UMNO/Barisan Nasional propagandists are not interested in upholding the truth but in disseminating lies and falsehoods to sow dissension and conflict within the Pakatan Rakyat.
It will be a bonus to these UMNO/BN propagandists if they could get a few in PAS to believe that the PAS is being bullied by DAP and a few in DAP to believe that DAP is bullied by PAS in Pakatan Rakyat, for this will aggravate tensions and conflict in the Pakatan Rakyat. Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang warns BN may retake Kelantan
Posted by Kit in Kelantan, Pakatan Rakyat, PAS, Selangor on Sunday, 28 September 2014
By Nigel Aw
Malaysiakini
1:00PM Sep 28, 2014
Amid a backlash against PAS over its teetering in the Selangor crisis, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has warned that PAS-led Kelantan government may fall into the hands of BN.
Lim said this would be the case if the 4.5 percent vote swing against PAS and by extension Pakatan Rakyat, is replicated in other constituencies in the state.
“If Pengkalan Kubor happens (in all of Kelantan), Pakatan will only get 20 seats and BN will capture 25 seats.
“That means the power to rule in Kelantan would be lost,” he told a DAP fundraising dinner in Petaling Jaya last night.
Lim’s warning comes a week after PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kaiat warned that the Islamic party’s support among local Kelantanese had fallen below 50 percent, according to a post-mortem by the party’s central committee. Read the rest of this entry »
S’gor PAS duo gets heroes’ welcome by DAP
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, Selangor on Sunday, 28 September 2014
By Nigel Aw
Malaysiakini
8:52AM Sep 28, 2014
Branded traitors by PAS, Selangor assemblypersons Saari Sungib and Hasnul Baharuddin who defied their party to stand with Pakatan Rakyat in the Selangor crisis received a heroes’ welcome from Chinese supporters at a DAP fundraising dinner last night.
The duo, who were seated beside DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, received a standing ovation from the largely Chinese audience as several DAP leaders described them as “saviours of Pakatan Rakyat”.
“Thank you Saari and Hasnul, that we still have a Pakatan government. You are not traitors, you are the rakyat’s heroes,” declared former Selangor exco Ronnie Liu at the 70-table dinner in Petaling Jaya last night. Read the rest of this entry »
So what’s next for Pakatan?
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat on Saturday, 27 September 2014
by Faisal S Hazis
Co-editor, Aliran e-Newsletter
27 September 2014
Pas needs an overhaul; Hadi needs to be replaced; and the hegemony of the ulamas needs to be stopped, asserts Faisal S Hazis.
The ‘Kajang Move’ was a big flop. PKR failed to push its choice of Menteri Besar to lead the richest state in the country so as to propel Pakatan to Putrajaya in the next general election.
Although Pakatan Minus (with the exception of Pas) stood firm on their choice of candidate to the very last hours, the palace defied democratic convention by appointing someone else, Azmin Ali. Despite its resentment against the palace’s decision, the PKR and later the DAP endorsed Azmin’s appointment, thus sacrificing its principles and surrendering its power to choose the Menteri Besar. This spells trouble for the PKR’s already tainted and battered image.
The ‘Palace Move’ is not only going against democratic convention but it also calls into question the role of the constitutional monarch in our increasingly shrinking democracy. This should be a matter of concern not only to the opposition but also the BN since the ruling party’s prerogative in naming the prime minister and chief minister, as noted by former premier Mahathir Mohamad, would also be compromised. This spells trouble for democracy. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP Selangor will extend its fullest support to Azmin Ali to provide him with every opportunity to prove himself to be the best Menteri Besar Selangor has ever had
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, Selangor on Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Tony Pua
DAP Selangor Chairman and MP for Petaling Jaya Utara
22 Sep 2014
DAP Selangor welcomes the appointment of the state assemblyman for Bukit Antarabangsa, Azmin Ali as the new Menteri Besar of Selangor which brings to an end a unnecessary and frustrating protracted political crisis in the state.
While DAP Selangor is gravely concerned over how the will of the majority in the state assembly has been trampled upon, it is equally important that we end the political crisis swiftly so that we can resume normal service to serve the people of Selangor.
Hence, DAP Selangor and our state assemblymen will give the fullest support and cooperation to the new Menteri Besar to ensure that we maximize the opportunity over the next 3 years to prove to the people why the crisis and their patience is worth the while.
With the appointment of Azmin Ali, the new Government has been given a fresh start to succeed where the previous administratrion has failed, and to achieve a higher level of success than Pakatan Rakyat did in the first 5 years of our administration from 2008-2013.
DAP Selangor looks forward to an administration led by Azmin and the new Exco line-up which is more consultative, inclusive and people-centric to fulfill Pakatan Rakyat’s promises to the people. We believe that by working as a team, Azmin Ali will be able to take Selangor to greater heights by making it the best-run state in the country. Read the rest of this entry »
An open letter to Azmin Ali, Menteri Besar of Selangor
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, Selangor on Wednesday, 24 September 2014
BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER
23 September 2014
Dear Azmin Ali,
Selangor gets a new menteri besar today in you and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) gets to continue running the country’s wealthiest state after a messy nine months of politicking that has left people wondering why it even happened.
How different will you be from the previous occupant of the office in Shah Alam, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim? Read the rest of this entry »
Entering DAP’s second phase with semi-urban constituencies
Posted by Kit in DAP, Elections, Pakatan Rakyat on Friday, 19 September 2014
I thank the DAP Policy Forum, an informal grouping of elected reps who are interested in policy matters, for organising the DAP Semi-urban Caucus meeting. DAP Policy Forum is a reflection of DAP’s maturity with more and more elected reps and party leaders getting involved in working out the policy alternatives of a different Malaysia under a new government. It is also a manifestation that DAP understands the expectations of the Malaysian voting public who wants more from their political leaders.
Semi-urban constituencies are indeed a new experience for the DAP. In many ways, it is an advent of a second phase for the DAP.
Previously, DAP was mostly confined to urban constituencies with high concentration of working class non-Malay voters. It is not that the DAP did not attempt to represent semi-urban constituencies but the previously prevailing circumstances worked against such efforts.
But since the political tsunami in 2008 and followed by the last elections in May 2013, DAP made substantial gains in multi-ethnic semi-urban constituencies, both at the parliamentary and at the state levels. Read the rest of this entry »
Is Najib administration the most shambolic premiership in Malaysian history – with right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing?
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Crime, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat on Sunday, 31 August 2014
Is the Najib administration not only on auto-pilot but the most shambolic premiership in Malaysian history, with the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing?
Malaysians are entitled to ask this question following the anonymous statement from the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday, insisting that the slew of sedition charges against Pakatan Rakyat leaders was a court matter and the government has nothing to do with it.
The anonymous Prime Minister’s Office statement said:
“Any charges under the Sedition Act are a matter for the courts. Malaysia’s judiciary is independent, as the verdicts of many cases prove.” Read the rest of this entry »
DAP lawmaker accuses A-G of selective prosecution in sedition charge
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Court, Law & Order, Pakatan Rakyat on Friday, 29 August 2014
BY V. ANBALAGAN, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
The Malaysian Insider
29 August 2014
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok wants to transfer her sedition charge from the Sessions Court to the High Court in a bid to expose what she says is selective prosecution by Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail.
The DAP national vice-chairman said in an application to transfer her case that Gani refused to frame charges against racists and extremists who threatened public order, ridiculed other races and those from minority religions to create disharmony and riots.
She said the High Court was the appropriate forum to investigate that the charge against her amounted to selective prosecution.
She also said the matter could only be brought to the Federal Court if her trial started in the High Court.
“There are many delicate legal questions that will be raised because the A-G’s discretionary powers superseded a citizen’s right to equal protection under the law,” said Kok in the affidavit sighted by The Malaysian Insider.
Sessions judge Norsharidah Awang will hear the application to transfer the case on September 18. Read the rest of this entry »
The advent of Najib’s New Despotism
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat, Parliament on Thursday, 28 August 2014
The flurry of arbitrary arrests and selective prosecution of Pakatan Rakyat leaders, including Members of Parliament and State Assemblymen, in the run-up to the 57th Merdeka celebrations on August 31, mark the advent of a new despotism in the Malaysian political landscape.
Today alone, PKR vice president and MP for Pandan Rafizi Ramli and PKR MP for Padang Serai N. Surendran were in court to face criminal charges, the former for the new-fangled accusation of “defamatory and provocative” statements against Umno members under Section 504 of the Penal Code and the latter a second charge of sedition within 10 days in connection with the Court of Appeal’s ruling that reversed Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s acquittal in his second sodomy trial.
The last ten days have seen another PR MP and two State Assemblymen hauled to court with PAS MP for Shah Alam Khalid Samad and DAP Penang State Assemblyman for Seri Delima R.S.N. Rayer charged for sedition and the PAS Perak State Assemblyman for Changkat Jering Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin charged with criminal defamation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Other PR MPs who are facing trial for sedition include DAP MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok and PKR MP for Batu Tian Chua.
If the Barisan Nasional government gets it ways to secure not only conviction but also a disqualifying sentence of either fine of over RM2,000 or one year’s jail, it would mean five parliamentary by-elections, namely Seputeh, Batu, Pandan, Padang Serai and Shah Alam and two State Assembly by-elections, viz Seri Delima in Penang and Changkat Jering in Perak.
If we include the possibility of a by-election in Permatang Pauh if Anwar fails in his appeal at the Federal Court on October 28 and 29, then we are looking at the likelihood of six parliamentary and two state assembly by-elections as a result of the recent spate of arrests and prosecution of PR leaders. Read the rest of this entry »
Who is ‘likely to command the confidence of the majority’?
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Pakatan Rakyat, Selangor on Tuesday, 26 August 2014
— Gurdial Singh Nijar
The Malay Mail Online
August 25, 2014
AUGUST 25 — The Selangor Constitution obliges the Sultan to appoint as the MB “a member of the State Legislative Assembly who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the Assembly”: Article 53(2)(a).
30 of the 56 members of the Assembly have already sworn on oath a declaration that they support Dato Seri Dr Wan Azizah. This constitutes 53.5% of the members of the Assembly – a clear majority; and in any event a majority that is higher than that which led the Sultan of Perak to appoint an MB on the basis that he commanded the majority. This exercise of discretion was accepted by the Federal Court in the Perak case (Nizar v Zambry).
Secondly, PAS has also expressed its support for Dato Seri Dr Wan Azizah, although the Party also proposed an additional name. This means that Dato Seri Dr Wan has the cumulative support of 43 out of the 56 members of the Assembly — an overwhelming 77% of the majority of the members of the State Assembly. Read the rest of this entry »
Snap polls could see chaos and uncertainty in Selangor, forum told
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Pakatan Rakyat, Selangor on Saturday, 23 August 2014
By Zurairi AR
The Malay Mail Online
August 23, 2014
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 ― The Sultan’s consent to dissolve the state assembly for snap polls would be an irreversible decision that may send the state hurtling into chaos, Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari told a forum on the mentri besar crisis last night.
The regularly-cited constitutional expert expressed fears of possible attempts to trigger unrest that may allow Putrajaya to regain control of Selangor via an emergency.
“If it is dissolved, we can do nothing … If this Monday His Highness decides to dissolve it, then it will be dissolved,” Aziz said of the state assembly.
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is set to meet the Selangor Sultan on Monday, according to sources familiar with the matter. Read the rest of this entry »
Seamless, orderly transfer of power to Wan Azizah
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Pakatan Rakyat, Selangor on Thursday, 21 August 2014
– Tommy Thomas
The Malaysian Insider
21 August 2014
The unanimous decision of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition to support Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the next Menteri Besar of Selangor means that she will be able to secure 43 votes in a confidence motion in the 56-member Selangor State Legislative Assembly.
One cannot imagine a clearer case of a candidate commanding the confidence of the majority of the Assembly.Yet, there is much disinformation clouding the matter. Read the rest of this entry »
The trouble with Wan Azizah is…
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, Selangor on Tuesday, 19 August 2014
By Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
Aug 18, 2014
The people who doubt Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s suitability as Selangor menteri besar (MB) and who claim that Malaysia is not ready to accept a woman to govern either the state, or the nation, are wrong. Step forward, the self-appointed ‘First Lady of Malaysia’ (FLOM), Rosmah Mansor.
In the past, many people, especially those from Umno Baru, despised the FLOM because they believe that she was masquerading as the FLOM when she was really the prime minister. Najib Abdul Razak, they said, is her proxy. So, are the critics of Wan Azizah afraid that the top echelons of political power will become too crowded with women? So, who are the groups which are sabotaging Wan Azizah?
Many people claim they want change, but when faced with opportunity for change, which is to have Wan Azizah as the MB, they develop cold feet. They fear uncharted waters. Dr Wan Azizah is not unfit to be MB, but Malaysians are afraid of change.
The trouble also lies with the indecisive politicians, in Umno Baru, BN, Pakatan and PAS, and the conservative people who want to retain our patriarchal society.
The people who currently hold the reins of power know that when Wan Azizah turns the country around, they will be in trouble. They know they will lose power, status and wealth, and be punished for their past crimes. Read the rest of this entry »
Pakatan Rakyat leadership must meet urgently and frequently to map out and implement strategies to restore public confidence in the coalition badly damaged by the prolonged Selangor MB crisis
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, Selangor on Tuesday, 19 August 2014
In the three temple functions I attended in Lima Kedai and Taman Sri Skudai in Gelang Patah last night, members of the public showed great and keen interest and concern about political developments in the country, especially about the future of Pakatan Rakyat as a result of the prolonged Selangor Mentri Besar crisis.
Undoubtedly, like Malaysians all over the country, the people of Gelang Patah had been following closely with great concern the worst crisis faced by Pakatan Rakyat in its six-year history, and by last Saturday, uppermost in the minds of many would be the question whether there would continue to be a Pakatan Rakyat in the next 24 hours, a question nobody could answer with any confidence.
The Selangor MB crisis had been the despair of many Malaysians. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Kajang Move’ is ready to go to Shah Alam
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, Selangor on Monday, 18 August 2014
– Dr. Tan Eng Bee
The Malaysian Insider
17 August 2014
Finally, PAS has sealed the fate of Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim with its concluded meeting on today that the party is not concerned with Khalid but has endorsed either Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah or Azmin Ali as the next menteri besar of Selangor.
While some would think otherwise, I have maintained that PAS’s decision was expected as its continuous political survival lies in its affiliation with Pakatan Raayat, failing which, the party may face a backlash at GE14, had the party chosen to support Khalid.
For PAS to leave the the coalition partnership is a sure political suicide as the coalition was given a strong mandate at GE13.
This is another episode which shows that when it comes to the core issue of survival of the coalition party, DAP, PKR and PAS have no alternative but to close rank and opt for a compromise that will see to their continuous survival in the political arena where only the fittest will survive. Read the rest of this entry »
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