Anwar shouldn't jeopardise Reformist image...

I'm sceptical and cynical of the speculations that the Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, would appoint Umno President, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, as Deputy Prime Minister, or for that matter to any government post. But if he does, he would be performing a harakiri. He would lose the support of his own supporters and drive away fence sitters who are beginning to warm up to him. 

He had made a positive inroads into the hearts of the people with his popular moves like not taking the PM salary, refusing to use a brand new Mercedes Benz S Class bought by the previous government and promosing to reduce the size of the Cabinet drastically.

But should he bring his old friend into the Cabinet, he would, with a stroke of a pen, jeopardises his growing image as a reformist and one who stands for good governance, transparency and accountability. 

Any decision to include people with questionable character would be an affront to the sensibilities of all Malaysians who supported the Pakatan Harapan in the last two general elections in the belief that the coalition would provide a clean government. 

The Barisan Nasional would not have done so badly in two consecutive general elections had it been led by trustworthy leaders. So let's pray and hope that Anwar would choose to prioritise the people's interest and country's integrity over short-term political consideration and self-interest. Having comes this far, he shouldn't throw away this golden opportunity. - A.Kadir Jasin

Should Zahid Hamidi be DPM?

To flesh out this question, we hear from two people with wildly differing opinions: Kadir Jasin who said that Anwar would be committing ‘harakiri’ if he appointed Zahid Hamidi as DPM, and Tian Chua, who sees it as a bitter but necessary move...

Accepting Zahid as DPM 

is not an issue anymore...

I will explain five strong reasons why Zahid is the obvious choice for a leadership position in the new Unity Government. Remember, this is a Unity Government, not a PH government. This government has Anwar as its PM and PH as a majority component. The rakyat are given a chance to rule again with PH at the head but it must accommodate, accept and nurture the other parties of BN, GPS and GRS.

This is a new world. This is uncharted territory. Principles of morality are fine in peace time but in a crisis and in war, difficult and hard decisions must be made and must be lived with. If grumblings occur and dissent follows, then all of us will sink and Mahiaddin and Hadi will be the new PM and DPM.

My first reason is that it was Zahid who single-handedly fought to keep BN intact and denounced the secret SDs by the ten MPs who had dishonestly made pacts against their own declaration to the chairman of BN. How can we trust those who do not know how to honor their own pledges? Zahid held together this understanding that I am sure had given much confidence to the YDP Agong to ask for a PH-BN unity government. Once Zahid had secured the BN, then GPS and GRS followed suit. Thus, Zahid and BN played a key and crucial role in the birth of the present Unity Government.

Secondly, Zahid needs to show his strength in the Umno election in December and if he falls, what do you think will happen to the Unity Government? I think those like Ismail and Hishammuddin who wanted Zahid to fall will easily make deals with the PN. No doubt absolutely in my mind. We can kiss our Unity Government goodbye and replace it with an extremist and greedy government of probably 90 ministers and deputies. So far, Zahid can show off that he has delivered Perak and Pahang as a win for BN as well as at the federal level. The icing would be the DPM.

Thirdly, Zahid has the most to lose if this Unity Government fails. His career will end before his corruption trials come to a conclusion. A man who has everything to lose will fight better than those who want to see him fail who would just make deals here and there and everywhere. Zahid needs Anwar and Anwar needs Zahid and the two will fight together or will fall together along with the hopes of Malaysians.

Fourthly, appointing another BN candidate as DPM will open the door to secret pacts with PN to make the DPM the new PM. We have seen this in the case of Ismail Sabri where immediately after being appointed DPM, he assumed the PM role with dealings and understandings. To Anwar Ibrahim, the leadership as PM is a responsibility in Islam and is not a coveted position. But to most politicians in Malaysia, the PM seat is prized as it is the key to untold wealth, power and position unchecked by a weak and unprofessional civil service.

Fifth, Zahid’s trial is still ongoing. Lim Guan Eng’s trial and that of Syed Sadiq are still ongoing. I do not see a problem if any of these MPs are appointed to minister or DPM posts. If they are found guilty, then they vacate the post-lah. What’s the problem? In Malaysia, we have real corruption that is not MACC checked and we have imagined corruption that the MACC charges. I have never had any faith in the MACC at all. If it were up to me, I would have disbanded this unit. It seems to serve itself and not the conscience of the rakyat

In conclusion, it is still up to Anwar to appoint and he has made it clear that it should be suggested by BN and GPS parties. If BN chooses Zahid, then Anwar and we Malaysians must accept. This is a battlefield promotion where when one commander dies, there is not much deliberation on who is next in line. Civil society and Malaysians can talk politics but they must know that they do not have political wisdom or instinct.

Principles of good practice are for a nice day in a seminar room but when fires are raging on all sides, bombs are exploding every other minute, instinct and opportunities are the only two survival skills and principles may need to be interpreted within a new and harsh context. As I have written before, we are in uncharted waters and we must stand firm with our leader whom we trust, or we might as well drill holes ourselves so all may drown ‘principally’ together. - Prof Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi

KDYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong berkenan menerima menghadap YAB Perdana Menteri Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim di Istana Negara,  pada petang hari ini. 

Sesi menghadap yang bermula pada jam 5.00 petang itu merupakan yang kali pertama buat YAB Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim sejak beliau menerima surat cara pelantikan dan mengangkat sumpah jawatan dan setia serta sumpah simpan rahsia Perdana Menteri ke-10 di istiadat pada 24 November lepas di Istana Negara.

cheers.

Anwar’s next challenge, his cabinet...

Barely days after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was appointed prime minister amid intense political horse-trading and a race against the clock to see who has the numbers, Anwar now faces another challenge: choosing his Cabinet line-up.

Theoretically, a Cabinet should comprise the cream of the crop in the Dewan Rakyat, and not be contingent on party quotas or internal politics, which would otherwise see “yes-men” being appointed despite lacking the necessary credentials or experiences.

However, the reality in Malaysia is that the heads of the political parties that form a government almost automatically assume the highest-ranked federal ministerial posts, while senior party leaders become ministers, deputy ministers, special envoys and so on.

In any case, deciding on a Cabinet should be a fairly straightforward process for any Malaysian PM. Not for Anwar though: due to the results of last Saturday’s (Nov 19) polls in which no party won a simple majority, he now leads a unity government, working side-by-side with once-political rivals.

The talk of the town is that Anwar’s unity government – the first in Malaysian history – will see the appointment of deputy prime ministers (DPMs) from Barisan Nasional (BN) and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), two coalitions that have long been against Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, largely due to the presence of the Chinese-majority DAP.

It is truly a bizarre scene for anyone vested in Malaysian politics and closely watching post-15th General Election (GE15) developments; PH now has no choice but to toe the line with BN (which it has always campaigned against) so its joint administration will not collapse. 

Anwar, in particular, has the unfortunate task of entertaining BN’s fancies and giving them their pick of Cabinet posts, and the DAP, on the other hand, has no choice but to stand back and allow this to proceed – even if it means not getting major Cabinet posts themselves despite their party’s number of MPs.

Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Azmi Hassan said the silver lining about Anwar’s unfortunate predicament is that the PH chief’s unity government bloc – which Anwar claims has secured a two-thirds majority in Parliament – is a large one. 

“He has a lot (of MPs) to choose (from) so (he won’t have to) rock the boat,” he told FocusM. “Because if (even) one coalition pulls out, then that’s the end of Anwar’s government.”

Azmi added that it’s an almost near certainty that Anwar’s DPMs will come from BN and the Borneo bloc; either GPS or the smaller Gabungan Rakyat Sarawak (GRS). 

However, those concerned about BN chairman-cum-UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is on trial for alleged corruption, becoming DPM can take a breather for now as the chances of this happening are “very low” and “negligible”, according to Azmi.

“If the DPM comes from BN, in all likelihood it will be Tok Mat,” he said, referring to Zahid’s deputy in both BN and UMNO, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

As to who among BN’s 30 MPs will be appointed or reappointed to Cabinet, Azmi said it was most probable that the “pro-Zahid” faction within UMNO has a better chance of being picked compared to those seen as “anti-Zahid”, such as former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“The pro-Zahid MPs (are the reason) why the en bloc decision was made by BN to support PH (and Anwar’s unity government),” Azmi explained.

He added that BN will most likely get major portfolios like education, human resources and the all-powerful finance since the coalition could always threaten to exit the unity government if they do not get their way. 

Lest his unity government be thwarted from within too, Anwar would also be wise to ensure the DAP gets major roles in Cabinet as well, said Azmi.

According to news reports and online speculation, the DAP will not hold major roles in Cabinet in a “selfless” effort to avoid creating any rifts between Anwar, BN and GPS – despite securing the most number of seats within PH, and way more than BN as a whole – but only time will tell if the DAP will be content with being sidelined for the long haul.

Azmi, who speculated that the DAP would most likely give up any dream they have of helming the finance portfolio once more, cautioned that the party is a “major force” to reckon with, as is BN right now by “calling the shots” within Anwar’s unity government.

“Since more than 90% of the Chinese voters voted for the DAP, Anwar needs to satisfy this group of voters by giving the DAP other (major) portfolios besides finance,” he said. – FocusMalaysia

Bagaimana kerajaan ini 

boleh dijatuhkan?...

Persoalannya bagaimana kerajaan perpaduan ini boleh dijatuhkan? Pertama mereka akan jatuhkan Zahid dlm tempoh 5 bulan dari skg iaitu tarikh akhir pemilihan UMNO. Hanya dgn menjatuhkan Zahid sahaja satu2 jalan utk menjatuhkan kerajaan Perpaduan ini.Sekadar ramalan, jika Zahid gagal pertahankan kerusi Presiden mereka akn angkat Hisham atau Ismail sebagai Presiden. Lalu dgn rasmi BN secara en bloc akn menarik sokongan kpd kerajaan campuran ini.

Anwar mempunyai kelebihan sebagai PM. Malah Anwar disenangi oleh semua kaum kerana pendekatan moderate dlm berpolitik. Kelebihan Anwar beliau sgt disenangi oleh rakyat Sarawak dan Sabah.Pun begitu ia tidak cukup utk jumlah kerusi andaikata GPS, Warisan dan Bebas setia bersama Anwar. Jangan diharap apa2 dari GRS sb mereka sebenarnya adalah komponen PN.

Jadi sebab itulah seperti saya katakan semalam kes LCS, pembelian vaksin, salah guna dana rakyat bernilai RM 580 billion mesti disegerakan. Saya bukan niat utk menakut nakutkan di kala kita dlm kegembiraan. Tapi saya lebih takut jika ia jatuh sekali lagi. Kita baru menangis kegembiraan jgn beberapa bulan lagi kita menangis kerana kesedihan.

Bila Anwar baru diumumkan sebagai PM saham dan ringgit meningkat. Ucapan tahniah dari pemimpin serata dunia mencurah2. Anwar menunjukkan contoh bagaimana beliau sanggup tidak bergaji dan tidak mahu pejabat PM diubahsuai utk menjimatkan kos perbelanjaan.  Sanggup bekerja hari Ahad utk membincangkan kos sara hidup. Tapi rakyat yg sudah termakan dakyah perkauman ini tidak akn melihat seribu kebaikkan itu. Sekali lagi saya ingatkan berhati hatilah… mereka tidak pernah diam walaupun sehari... - Norman Radzuan

Anwar panjat pagar nak bersalam, menghargai dan meraikan rakan-rakan 

bukan Islam yang telah berkumpul ramai2 di luar masjid turut mendengar.

cheers.

Anwar the 10th PM watches...

Zahid plays & traps 

power-crazy Muhyiddin & Hadi...

Anwar Ibrahim was extraordinary calm – even joyful – when he told an army of reporters yesterday (Nov 23) that he was going out to watch a movie (“tengok wayang”). Enjoying popcorn himself, he then proceeded to distribute more popcorn to reporters who waited outside his office. The media thought it was a joke, but what the Pakatan Harapan chairman meant was to watch a classic Malay political drama.

Unlike previously, where he prematurely announced on Sept 22, 2020 that he had garnered a “strong, formidable, convincing majority” of MPs to form a new government, only to be played and laughed after it failed, Anwar has only expressed his “optimism” this round. Refraining from alerting the enemies, his offer of “popcorn” was the clearest clue that he knew how the drama would end up.

Today, after a 5-day wait following the 15th General Election that produced a hung Parliament, Mr Anwar has been sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia – nearly 25 years since he was sacked as deputy prime minister by then-PM Mahathir Mohamad in 1998. Both domestic and international investors immediately jumped into Malaysian assets.

Stock market skyrockets 58.38 points (4.04%) after it’s established that a religious extremist government led by former PM Muhyiddin Yassin will not be in power. At 6pm, Ringgit jumped 815 percentage points to RM4.49 against the U.S. dollar – the first time the local currency appreciates below the psychological level of RM4.50. Under Sabri government, it plunged to as low as RM4.75.

Anwar’s appointment was confirmed after King Sultan Abdullah sought the opinions of brother rulers in a special Conference of Malay Rulers today. But it was a walk in the park for the nine rulers of the Malay states. Before the conference started this morning, a decision was already made by Barisan Nasional last night, who despite winning only 30 seats, is the ultimate kingmaker.

There was an explosive of anxiety and concerns yesterday when Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional leaders met at the five-star St Regis Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, sparking wild rumours that Anwar would fail again in his epic journey for the Iron Throne. There were speculations that UMNO-led Barisan Nasional would use an earlier negotiation with Pakatan Harapan to extract a better offer.

The “red flag” – UMNO president Zahid Hamidi was not at St Regis. Caretaker prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and party deputy president Mohamad Hasan were sent there to hear Perikatan Nasional’s sales speech. Without Barisan’s 30 seats, neither Perikatan (73 seats) nor Pakatan (82 seats) has the magic number – 112 MPs – to form a simple-majority government in the 222-seat Parliament.

After revealing the offers from Anwar, Barisan Nasional asked Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin to counter offer – in black and white. Short of the top prize – 10th Prime Minister – Perikatan Nasional would go home empty-handed because Pakatan Harapan has already offered the deputy prime minister during a “friendly meeting” at Seri Pacific Hotel two days earlier (Nov 21).

Desperation was visible in Perikatan when it scrambled all the top leaders to St Regis Hotel. Muhyiddin was flanked by deputy chairman cum PAS Islamist party president Abdul Hadi Awang, Perak Perikatan chairman Ahmad Faizal Azumu, secretary-general Hamzah Zainuddin, Bersatu vice-president Radzi Jidin, Gerakan chief Dominic Lau, and Bersatu vice-president Ronald Kiandee.

There were rumours that Perikatan Nasional was willing to surrender the post of prime minister, but only to Hishammuddin Hussein, the UMNO traitor who has been showing allegiance to enemy Bersatu rather than to his own party. However, even if power-crazy Muhyiddin were to reluctantly offer the trophy to someone else, which he won’t, UMNO would still reject it.

The United Malays National Organization (UMNO) knew an offer of prime ministership at such hour was not only insincere, but would be just a short-term gain. Even former PM Najib Razak had delivered a message from his prison cell to UMNO to consider long-term interests during negotiation. Muhyiddin’s Bersatu was established to kill UMNO and take over its grassroots and machinery, as well as its assets.

Having worked with Muhyiddin since the day he betrayed his own friends and allies in Pakatan Harapan, resulting in the collapse of the democratically-elected government in just 22 months in March 2020, UMNO knew very well that Bersatu and its partner PAS are like tiger and python that attacks and swallows from the back while Pakatan is a lion that prefers to attack from the front.

Therefore, there was absolutely no intention to work with Perikatan Nasional, let alone help the traitors Muhyiddin and Hadi form the government. The St Regis meeting was just a political drama that UMNO was being fair by meeting both Pakatan and Perikatan. UMNO still remember how it was bullied and backstabbed by Perikatan – it was priceless to see Muhyiddin’s panic face.

After burning the midnight oil, UMNO finally announced that it will be part of a unity government that is not led by Perikatan Nasional – a naughty way to say it supports Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan without actually saying it to prevent offending UMNO-Malay voters. The fact that the vague statement has raised doubts even within Pakatan supporters means Zahid should be given the Oscars award.

From the moment Zahid led Barisan Nasional leaders to meet Anwar and his lieutenants at Seri Pacific Hotel to prospect a unity or power-sharing government, it was done to play and trap Muhyiddin, Azmin, Hamzah and Hadi. As published in previous articles, it was already a “done deal” when both coalitions swiftly formed the Perak state government on the same day the meeting took place.

The second sign that Barisan Nasional would throw its support behind Pakatan Harapan was when UMNO leaders increasingly praising their once bitter rival as not only professional and trustworthy, but also reminded its members how Pakatan, comprising Chinese-based DAP, had signed a pact – MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) – to safeguard Ismail Sabri government for 14 months.

Not many realized that Anwar had been accorded Special Branch protection as early as after the meeting at Seri Pacific Hotel. The fourth sign was when police roadblocks were set-up yesterday in every district nationwide – operating 24-hour – under the lame excuse of preventing crime. It was, of course, to warn Perikatan Nasional leaders from starting racial riots similar to the May 13, 1969.

Pakatan Harapan supporters have been accepting losses in every election since 1998. Hence, the only explanation is the military intelligence has received information that Perikatan Nasional supporters could have been paid or instigated to create chaos. During the election campaign, Muhyiddin said Christians were working with Jews to Christianise Malaysia, while Hadi tried to radicalise people with violent Islamic extremism.

The fifth clue that Barisan Nasional will throw its support behind Pakatan Harapan was when a top UMNO Terengganu warlord emerged from the final meeting last night and told reporters that they wanted to investigate the source of Perikatan Nasional’s massive funding in its election campaign. One of the reasons Muhyiddin wanted to return to power by hook or by crook is the dubious spending of RM600 billion during his regime.

The sixth suspicion was the unexplainable calmness within Pakatan Harapan component parties, even when UMNO repeatedly decided to not support Pakatan Harapan or Barisan Nasional. Exactly why didn’t PKR, DAP, Amanah and UPKO scrambled to meet when Sarawak-based Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Sabah-based Gabungan Rakyat Sabah pledged their support for Muhyiddin?

The only explanation – Barisan Nasional’s 30 MPs are well secured and Anwar had in his pocket 112 MPs, leaving Muhyiddin running around like a headless chicken as GPS kept flip-flopping. Knowing that no government can be formed without Barisan Nasional, UMNO deliberately refused to support either Pakatan or Perikatan because it wanted the Palace to untangle its biggest political obstacle.

After decades of bashing Democratic Action Party (DAP) as a Chinese chauvinist party, it would be a political suicide for UMNO-led Barisan Nasional to join the Pakatan Harapan government. Likewise, after decades of slamming UMNO’s corruptions, it would be hard for Pakatan Harapan, especially DAP, to explain to the ethnic Chinese how they could work together now.

There were basically two solutions after Barisan Nasional’s disastrous election results. One, it becomes opposition and rejuvenate or reform. At the same time, it can extend support to Pakatan Harapan through MOU because its enemy’s enemy is its friend. However, it would be difficult to explain to its grassroots and supporters why it must support its decade-old enemies Anwar and DAP.

Second solution – it joins a unity government led by Pakatan Harapan. This is worse because it creates a perception that Barisan is so hungry for power that it is willing to legitimize Anwar and DAP. But it would be a different story if the ball is passed to the King, who in turn issued a royal decree forcing Barisan Nasional to choose either Pakatan Harapan or Perikatan Nasional to solve the deadlock.

And that’s precisely what happened. With the King’s order, the Malay nationalist party can now tell all and sundry that it had no choice but to choose the lesser of two evils. It can easily argue that not only had Perikatan Nasional stolen its Malay strongholds, but also MPs. And Anwar has generously offered the deputy prime minister despite having fewer seats than during Muhyiddin regime in 2020.

It was part of the plan to keep GPS and even Barisan Nasional component parties in the dark about UMNO’s support for Anwar’s coalition, allowing Muhyiddin to fantasize that he had the support of at least 115 MPs. It was this deception that the former backdoor prime minister arrogantly rejected Agong’s royal proposal for both Pakatan and Perikatan to form a unity government.

It was already too late when Muhyiddin realized his mistake and shamelessly made a U-turn and wanted to be part of the unity government after Anwar was announced as the 10th Prime Minister. Did anyone notice that Hishammuddin and his nephew, Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz, instantly stop asking Zahid to resign after the friendly meeting between Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional at Seri Pacific Hotel?

Heck, Hishammuddin was made to rubbish a statement circulating in social media quoting him as saying 10 UMNO MPs were backing Muhyiddin as prime minister, the same dubious list which Muhyiddin sent to the Palace to show his legitimacy. Only silly Wee Ka Siong, president of MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association) keeps barking like a mad dog till today demanding the resignation of Zahid.

Of course, we know why MCA was extremely upset over the unity government. Its relevance would drop to zero in the presence of DAP, the de-facto representative of ethnic Chinese in the country. There might be no portfolio for MCA in the cabinet of Anwar government. Still, barking non-stop would only invite more humiliation when UMNO lectures it to reflect itself in the mirror.

It’s funny that in his entire political career, Wee still has not learned the basic Malay politics. That’s why Chinese politicians in this country can never compete with Malay politicians. Any UMNO politicians can easily eat the MCA president for breakfast. From the beginning, it was a trap to make Muhyiddin thinks he had enough MPs to form a government, leading to his rejection of a unity government proposed by the King.

Imagine the problems and complications had Muhyiddin agreed to share power with Anwar. The history of plotting, lying, scheming, sabotaging and backstabbing each other will repeat itself again till Muhyiddin grabs power through backdoor. Make no mistake. Barisan Nasional is still the same crocodile that is leveraging on Pakatan Harapan’s popularity to boost its reputation.

Suddenly, crooked Zahid becomes the saviour who saved the day when the country was about to be radicalized by religious extremists and racist bigots from Perikatan Nasional. Newly crowned PM Anwar Ibrahim should be careful when dealing with UMNO. The expectation is incredibly high for his leadership to not only turn around the country, but also to fight corruption. - FT

Bas sudah penuh,

kena duduk atas bumbung...

Pas salah satu rakan PN memberi respon baik kepada pelantikan Anwar Ibrahim sebagai PM dan menubuhkan kerajaan perpaduan. Sambil mengucapkan tahnah kepada Anwar atas pelantikannya sebagai PM, Setiausaha Pas Agung Pas Takiyuddin Hassan mengeluarkan kenyataan mengatakan Pas kini mempertimbangkan untuk menyertai kerajaan pimpinan Anwar itu. 

Sikap yang bagus, tetapi agak terlewat sedikit. Jika ibarat nak naik bas kerusi sudah penuh apa yang boleh bergantung di tangga sahaja atau lompat ke atas bumbung. Kalau Pas sanggup menanggung keadaan itu, silakan. Yang penting sampa ke destinasi susah sikit tidak perlu hirau.

Bagaimana pun sebelum memikirkan untuk mempertimbangkan menyertai kerajaan elok kalau Takiyuddin dan pemimpin parti agama itu menasihat anak buah mereka yang masih belum melakukan gencatan senjata dengan terus memerli dan menyerang Anwar. Isu perkauman dan agama masih dimainakn.  Hentikan vendalisme itu dahulu baru bercakap soal kerjasama dan perpaduan.- MSO

 

cheers.

From Sungai Buloh to Putrajaya...

 

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has been sworn in as the country’s 10th prime minister. He took his oath of office before Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah at Istana Negara at 5pm today. Anwar, who is Pakatan Harapan chairperson, succeeds Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the country’s chief executive.

Newly minted Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that a decision will be made on the appointment of his two deputies, likely from BN and GPS as partner coalitions in the unity government. The unity government that he would lead comprises Pakatan Harapan, of which he is the chairperson, as well as BN, and Sarawak's GPS.

Speaking at his first press conference, Anwar said the two coalitions have the next most number of seats after Pakatan Harapan as the largest bloc. The unity government comprises Pakatan Harapan and its ally Muda with 82 seats, followed by BN with 30 seats and GPS with 23 seats. "The deputy prime minister's post will be from other components and Sabah or Sarawak, so we are considering GPS," said the Pakatan Harapan chairperson.

Asked whether MPs with ongoing court cases will be considered for any cabinet positions, Anwar said Harapan has stated its stand against convicted MPs but further discussions are necessary among new partners in government.

"The matter has been raised and within Harapan our stance is clear, but because it also involves the unity government, then we must discuss it (with other partners). "Once convicted, if according to Harapan it will be difficult (to join cabinet)... Give us room to discuss," he added.

Within parties that make up the coalitions, politicians with ongoing court trials include Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng and Bagan Datuk MP Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Earlier in the press conference, he gave reassurances that the new unity government will be inclusive, contrary to sentiments played up throughout the 15th general election campaign and after polling day. The premier also announced a public holiday next Monday (Nov 28), to the applause and cheers of the crowd at the Sungai Long Golf Club in Kajang, Selangor.

Meanwhile, Anwar said the new Parliament session on Dec 19 will also clear emoluments for civil servants, followed by a revised Budget 2023. "We have to clear the emoluments first for the public servant and after one month we will table a revised budget," he added. Anwar also reiterated his promise to not receive his salary as prime minister.

Earlier,Muhyiddin had questioned Anwar's appointment and insisted that he had statutory declarations (SD) from 115 MPs on his side before Tuesday’s royal audience, enough to become prime minister. - mk

Din ada simple majority dgn sokongan 10 org MPs BN + GPS. Agong tak terima pasai sokongan BN mestilah secara en bloc bukan 10 org cara individu,pasai itu akan menimbulkan masalah dgn akta lompat parti nanti...

Mahyuddin terus persoal Agong...

Saat Anwar Ibrahim sedang angkat sumpah memegang jawatan dan simpan rahsia sebagai perdana menteri ke-10 di istana negara, Mahiaddin Yassin bersama pimpinan PN mengadakan sidang akhbar khas meminta Anwar membuktikan yang PM itu mencukupi sokongan.

 

Cara dan sikap Mahiaddin dan pimpinan PN itu seolah-olah tidak yakin dan percaya kepada Yang diPertuan Agong dan Raja-Raja Melayu yang telah memperincikan segala dokumen sebelum perkenan diberi oleh Yang diPertuan Agong. 

Sidang media itu didamping sama oleh presiden Pas, Abdul Awang dan presiden Gerakan. Mahiaddin tidak habis-habis meremeh dan mempersendakan budi bicara Yang diPertuan Agong.

Pada sidang akhbar itu beliau langsung tidak mengucapkan tahniah kepada Anwar atas pelantikan itu. - MSO

It explains why Mohyiddin so, so desperate to become PM. Lets hope our newly minted PM10 will instruct SPRM to initiate immediate investigate on Mohyiddin's  RM 600B scam...

cheers.

No decision yet...

Umno Youth chief slams ‘arrogant’ 

Perikatan after St Regis meeting...

Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki has described Pakatan Harapan as more “gentlemanly” and “beradab” (civilised) in holding negotiations with Barisan Nasional to form a government, compared with the “arrogant” leaders from Perikatan Nasional.

On Facebook, Asyraf confirmed that a meeting occurred between PN leaders and the BN Supreme Council at the St Regis hotel, but slammed PN for reverting to its “old habits” when it attempted to silently “steal” 10 BN parliamentarians to support Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister.

“That is why the meeting with PN, which was scheduled two days ago, had to be postponed several times. Ostensibly, PN had enough ‘numbers’, the number of parliamentarians supporting Tan Sri Muhyiddin as PM,” Asyraf, who lost Gerik during the recent election, said.

“Up to the (point where) the 10 SDs (statutory declarations) signed by BN parliamentarians were retracted under orders from the BN Supreme Council. did they (PN) state their readiness to meet (BN) today at 3.30pm.”

Earlier today, top leaders from BN and Gabungan Parti Sarawak were seen entering the palace but did not speak to the media. This comes as neither PH nor PN – the two coalitions with the highest number of MPs – managed to secure a simple majority of 112 lawmakers to form the government.

An attempt by the palace to get both PH and PN to form a unity government also failed, after the latter’s chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin revealed that he rejected the proposal during his audience with the king yesterday.

Asyraf said BN’s meeting with PN today took place only after the latter had met the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and had confirmed that Muhyiddin did not have enough SDs.

He added that the BN Supreme Council will convene tonight to discuss the offers made by PH and PN, and will abide by the Agong’s advice for BN to help form a unity government.

“But the question is, why is PN so arrogant and conceited to reject the advice of the Agong to form a unity government?" - Azim Idris,The Vibes

Has Muhyiddin shot 

himself in the foot, twice?

On Sept 24, Muhyiddin Yassin stated under no uncertain terms that Barisan Nasional is Bersatu’s enemy. He said this prior to the recently completed 15th general election.The objective of Bersatu and PAS under the Perikatan Nasional umbrella was to snuff out Barisan Nasional’s lynchpin, Umno.

None of the component parties in BN offered a threat to Bersatu and PAS. They were simply too insignificant to cause any worry or loss of sleep to PN. Even in the just completed GE 15, MCA retained its two seats while MIC retained its single seat.

PN had decided to go after Umno like a wounded tiger out for a kill. And naturally so because it was Umno that pulled the plug on Muhyiddin’s tenure as the eighth prime minister of Malaysia. Desperate at that time to continue as prime minister, Muhyiddin tried his best to stay in power with the offer of all kinds of concessions and goodies to Umno. But Umno was adamant that Muhyiddin had to go.

There is a saying that revenge is sweet and for Muhyiddin, seeing the annihilation of Umno in GE15 was the ultimate revenge. Umno did not even want Bersatu, the party Muhyiddin led by doing a number on ex-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, to be invited to join Muafakat Nasional, the electoral pact Umno forged with PAS.

But things have taken an ironic turn. Now, more so than ever, Muhyiddin and PAS of PN need to fall back on BN, their ultimate enemy in GE15. Muhyiddin now needs the endorsement of the 30 BN MPs to convince the King that he has the numbers to form a government.

He even had everyone believe that he already had the support of the MPs from BN until the coalition’s secretary-general, Zambry Abdul Kadir, revealed that no one, not even a single MP from BN had endorsed Muhyiddin as the 10th prime minister.

Umno vice-president and caretaker Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, lent further credence to the fact that BN has never endorsed Muhyiddin by declaring today that BN does not support both Muhyiddin and Pakatan Harapan chairman Anwar Ibrahim in their quest to be the next prime minister.

Power sharing No!

Still had Muhyiddin been any good during his first stint as the prime minister, he could have been sworn in easily. But alas, many saw his term of office as quite forgettable. In his wisdom, the King offered Muhyiddin a compromise for a unity government as a way out of the current impasse.

It was about power sharing. Muhyiddin refused this offer and shown total disrespect to the efforts of the King. So be it. Since he has spurned the King’s attempts at bringing some sense of well-being to the nation, it is best Muhyiddin be left to wallow in what could have been.

Let’s hope no one decides to play, be it the racial or religious card, in the quest to become the prime minister. The likes of newly-elected MP for Titiwangsa Johari Ghani has just reminded Muhyiddin about what it takes to be a great leader – we are all Malaysians first.

For BN and Umno, the fact that they have refused to endorse you as the next prime minister should be seen as their ultimate revenge. Like they say, revenge is sweet, isn’t it? - Clement Stanley

Adakah adil lantik PM dari parti yang kalah teruk dalan PRU15,

Harap2 Agong & Majlis Raja2 beri pertimbangkan yang adil dalam hal ini...

The roadblocks will remain until further notice...

cheers.

Ink sudah takdak,PM belum ada...

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong expressed his wishes to Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for a strong, formidable, and inclusive government. “We were summoned by the king and I expressed my profound gratitude for the opportunity given,” Anwar told reporters outside Istana Negara.

“His Majesty began by expressing his desire to form a strong formidable government that is inclusive, allowing it to focus on resolving the rakyat’s problems and resuscitating the economy.“I expressed gratitude to His Majesty, I said we’ll do our best and digest the advice and wait for the final decision... which is of course, at the discretion of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” said the newly elected Tambun MP.

Anwar thanked Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah for granting him the “opportunity given” . By convention, the leader of the party with the most number of seats in Parliament will be invited to form a government.

Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin revealed that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had suggested that the coalition form a unity government with Pakatan Harapan. 

However, Muhyiddin said he has rejected the proposal as this go against the coalition’s stance. “Since the beginning, we already discussed that we will not cooperate with Harapan. 

Muhyiddin stressed that he has statutory declarations showing he has the support of 115 MPs to become the next prime minister but was told by the palace that this is inadequate despite surpassing the simple majority of 112 seats.

He also showed a letter to prove that the SDs were received by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s senior private secretary, Nazim Mohd Alim, on time. “We were confident that we had enough numbers to form the government. “However, it is said that our numbers were not enough.

Harapan currently has 82 MPs and Warisan - which has three MPs - says it will support a Harapan-BN coalition. PBM's Larry Sng also appears to be leaning towards Harapan.

However, BN's 30 MPs have decided to remain neutral and appear ready to support a minority government via a confidence and supply agreement.

In theory, Harapan, Warisan, and PBM - if combined - make up 86 MPs. Perikatan Nasional has 73 MPs, while its Sabah counterpart GRS has six. Three Sabah MPs, two from KDM and one independent, have aligned themselves with PN.

Previously, Sarawak's GPS - which has 23 seats after winning Baram yesterday - had initially supported PN. However, GPS has now said that it would leave it to the king to decide who becomes prime minister - implying that its backing for PN is no longer guaranteed.

BN MPs given special privilege by the Agong to have a one-on-one interview.The outcome of the Sheraton Move on how many votes Mahiaddin obtained to become PM8 was never disclosed by the Istana. Can we expect another ambiguous outcome from this BN interviews? 

A way out of a predicament 

on forming government...

At present, BN has 30 seats in Parliament. It seems that BN is a kingmaker as of now. If PH has no qualms in supporting BN/Umno in Perak to become the menteri besar despite the fact Umno merely has a small number of seats, it would be mind-boggling should BN/Umno show reluctance to support DSAI and PH in return. Like it or not, BN/Umno may be seen to be inflicted by self-interest!

In Perak, PH opted for an unpopular option in the interest of the nation and the people respectively. National interest trumps personal and political interest as far as PH is concerned.  Why can’t BN practise the same? Does it also mean PH has to form a unity government with BN? 

Dato Seri Annuar Zaini adalah penasihat Sultan Perak sejak krisis politik PRU14. Cerita sebenarnnya begini. Bersatu(PPBM) rupanya yang nak tarik diri dari PN jika bagi jawatan MB kepada PAS. Awai2 lagi dah berebut.Sekali Sultan putuskan kerajaan sekarang perlu ditubuhkan. Berebut sesama sendiri lepas tu buat narratif perkauman...

My answer would be a resounding no. BN may support DSAI to become the Prime Minister of a minority government via a special vehicle known as CSA or Confidence-Supply Agreement. BN does not have to join the PH-led government to govern. 

By executing the CSA, BN may agree to fully support DSAI as the prime minister quid pro quo BN would be given certain benefits as an opposition front which is friendly to a minority government. This political arrangement might be a viable option in getting rid of the political stalemate. It may also produce added advantages such as by avoiding the evil of the “scheme of things” and a grandeur size of cabinet.

Finally, with the politics of hate and religious extremism demonstrated by PAS and Bersatu, it would be unimaginable for YDPA to let PN govern our beloved land without any damaging repercussions to Malaysia’s economy. – Datuk Mohamed Hanipa Maidin,the Vibes

cheers.

Langkah Seri Pacific...

The system for appointing a Prime Minister is that the King calls the most convincing candidate (the one who won the most seats) and invites him to attempt to form a government, which is then tested in Parliament by a public vote of MPs. If that person fails then the baton is passed to the next most likely candidate. Usually in a hung parliament the largest bloc finds enough support to govern through compromise.

However, this was not what happened when Muhyiddin stunningly achieved office in 2020 after betraying his allies despite having received the support of not one MP when earlier canvassed by the monarch. His appointment was apparently based on his having presented so-called Statutory Declarations made by individual MPs in his favour to the King. The King based his decision on these, despite the fact that the opposing former PM, Dr Mahathir, was at the same time photographed with 114 MPs himself holding their signatures up for all to see.

How could the King have been so badly fooled? Muhyiddin was later widely denounced as having lied to the Agong, who somehow believed the fake SDs. The imposter was then allowed to postpone Parliament for several weeks until he had bought in enough support from here and there to turn the tables – resulting in a vast Cabinet of jumped up dealmakers.

This coalition of rag-tag losers then proceeded to bleed and misrule Malaysia through the Covid pandemic whilst indulging in prolonged infighting that eventually resulted in Muhyiddin being replaced by his UMNO rivals in the top post.

Now, once more a loser (Muhyiddin’s faction of PN achieved just 22 seats and his coalition came in second) it seems the man is up to the same tricks, sending missives to the palace and yet more alleged SDs from ‘a majority of MPs’. The King has no role descending into the grubby minutiae of party politics. He should not be bothered with petty interviews of individual MPs or scanning signatures in such a way.

His more dignified role is merely to come to an impartial conclusion as to the most supported party amongst MPs and to offer its leader (just one interview by one person at the palace) the opportunity to form an administration.

Most importantly, this should be an open and transparent affair. The person the population agrees has the majority of the votes (PH received 38% of all votes and 82 seats, PN received 30% and just 73 seats, so no confusion there) ought to be seen to be invited to the Palace. His/her claim to have a majority of MPs ought to be openly tested on the floor of Parliament. Yet, once again, the once failed already, ex-minority PM is trying the same trick behind closed doors as he did before. Such shenanigans should stop. - SR

Besar pengorbanan PH.BN 9 kerusi BN jadi MB...

cheers.