PAS MAY PUT UP VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE AGAINST PM

PAS may put up vote of no confidence against PM
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[KL, March 28, 2007] THE opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) may table a motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister when Parliament is convened on April 29, according to a senior PAS leader. And it appears the opposition Islamic party is counting on disgruntled members of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition for the motion to succeed. But lawmakers from fellow opposition parties are more cautious about the move. A senior member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) described such a motion as a 'serious matter' that needed to be studied, while another from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) said his party would look into whether it was 'timely'.
PAS vice-president Husam Musa said many MPs were unhappy with the BN-led federal government following its dismal performance in the March 8 poll. This was why his Islamist party wanted a change in the country's leadership, Datuk Husam was quoted as saying in The Star newspaper yesterday (March 27, 2008 - ed.).
In the general election, the opposition won 82 of the 222 Parliament seats. PAS won 23 while its opposition allies, the DAP and PKR, secured 28 and 23 seats respectively. Even if all opposition MPs were to support the motion, they would be 30 votes short of passing it. So the opposition must rely on the possibility that some disgruntled BN MPs may absent themselves from the vote or, worse yet, defect to the other side.
Constitutional law expert Shad Faruqi said that, under the law, the king has two options once Parliament approves a motion of no confidence against a prime minister. One is for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, as Malaysia's constitutional monarch is known, to appoint a new prime minister from among the MPs who have the support of the majority in Parliament. 'The other option is for the king to dissolve the Parliament and call for fresh elections,' the lecturer at the Mara University of Technology told The Straits Times.
A no-confidence motion has never been tabled in Malaysia.
source: THE STRAITS TIMES via malaysia-today

Anwar: No motion against PM - TheStarOnline.tv, thestaronline
Parti Keadilan Rakyat Advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says the opposition will not be pushing for a motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister any time soon.

http://thestaronline.tv/default.aspx?vid=1196
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQItlQlQ_q0

Two views on moving a no-confidence vote

By : B. Suresh Ram

KUALA LUMPUR: Can a vote of no-confidence be tabled against the primeminister or the government in the Dewan Rakyat? While former Dewan Rakyat secretary Datuk Abdullah Abdul Wahab said this was impossible, Universiti Teknologi Mara Professor of Law andlegal adviser Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi disagreed.

Abdullah said the standing orders in the Dewan Rakyat did not allow for such a motion. Even if an attempt was made, it would be "killed" by the Barisan Nasional-appointed speaker who had the right to determine, after consulting the government, if there was a need for such a motion. He said there were no provisions enabling the passing of such a motion in the house. "The situation has never arisen which warrants a need for a show of confidence in the government or leader of the house," Abdullah said.

Faruqi, however, felt that Article 43(4) of the Federal Constitution allowed for a vote of no-confidence against the prime minister and the government. He said there was, however, no specific procedure for such a move and that it could come in the form of a motion tabled by a member of parliament. "At the end of the day, it is up to the speaker to use his discretionary powers on whether to allow such a motion."

Both were commenting on the matter following statements by the opposition that its MPs would be moving a motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in the Dewan Rakyat. On March 28, Pas vice-president, Datuk Husam Musa, said the party may table a motion of no-confidence against Abdullah when parliament convenes on Tuesday. Two weeks later, de facto Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim played down the issue by saying that Pakatan Rakyat would not move such a vote at this juncture. -- MORE

Malaysia's Anwar says ruling lawmakers mull defection

Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Monday he had held talks with a number of ruling coalition lawmakers interested in defecting after this month's landmark elections.

Anwar, a former deputy premier who was sacked and jailed a decade ago, helms a three-party alliance that made unprecedented gains in March 8 polls against the Barisan Nasional coalition which has ruled for half a century.

"People have come and approached me," Anwar said, adding that he had spoken with "quite a number" and told them their support would not be bought.

"If you want to surrender at a price, then you have chosen the wrong party," he told reporters, adding that they would be welcomed "if they accept our agenda".

Anwar confirmed he was canvassing support from coalition lawmakers in East Malaysia on Borneo island, which represents a power bloc that could unseat the government if it changed hands.

Barisan Nasional will have 140 lawmakers in the new 222-seat parliament, against 199 in the outgoing 219-seat parliament.

The opposition alliance claimed 80 seats from just 19 previously, and four more states.

The opposition was Monday sworn into power in the last of the five states it now controls, including Kelantan which was already held by the Islamic party PAS, while Barisan Nasional was still trying to resolve its power struggles.

Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin from PAS was installed as chief minister in Perak state, state media said, ending a public squabble among the three opposition parties who will rule there in coalition.

Meanwhile, tiny Perlis -- which was retained by Barisan Nasional -- remained in limbo after the royal state ruler who formally appoints chief ministers dumped the incumbent backed by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Malaysia's sultans have the constitutional right to appoint state leaders but in the past have rarely acted against the advice of the political leadership.

Now, however, Abdullah is fighting for his own political life as he fends off calls for his resignation to take responsibility for the election debacle.

The premier has rejected the pressure to quit, and pushed ahead with the formation of his new administration, with a new slimline cabinet expected to be unveiled on Tuesday.

Abdullah has promised "new faces" and observers said the line-up will indicate his appetite for reform after the polls, which have transformed Malaysia's political landscape.

The previous cabinet had a whopping 32 ministers, 39 deputy ministers and 20 parliamentary secretaries, with jobs handed out to many of the 14 race-based parties that make up the coalition.

The large cabinet had been criticised as unwieldy and wasteful, and there is speculation that some ministries could be merged in line with the smaller Barisan Nasional representation in parliament.

However, political observers said Abdullah faces a headache in reducing positions while still mollifying the coalition members who are being courted by Anwar.

"Abdullah needs to make really bold moves, to bring in an economic team that brings confidence to the investment community," said Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia expert from Johns Hopkins University who observed the elections.

"That means new faces, and the minute he removes older faces he weakens himself further with more infighting and leadership challenges," she said.

"So my feeling is that they'll put bandaids on the wounds, and this is how they'll continue to govern."

source: AFP via MSN News - http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1294765

Anwar denies persuading BN reps to crossover to opposition
By : V. Shankar Ganesh
SHAH ALAM, Mon:
Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has denied persuading Barisan Nasional elected representatives to cross over to the Opposition.
While it was true that he was in Sabah and Sarawak recently, he insisted that he did not try to buy them over despite meeting leaders of Umno and other local BN component parties there.
“We are not as rich as Umno and BN. This is a negative campaign. We are consistent and committed to our cause,” he told reporters after meeting Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim at his official residence here today.
Anwar said if anyone wanted to cross-over at a price, then they had chosen the wrong party.
During his meetings with the leaders, not one person raised the subject of money with him. "However, we will accept anyone who wants to cross-over but only if they subscribed to the our agenda,” he said.
On PKR representatives being approached to crossover to BN, Anwar claimed there had been attempts and he had told the PKR representatives to record all conversations.
Anwar also criticised a local Malay daily for fanning racial sentiments.
He said the daily had not been publishing the party’s statements on its view of the New Economic Policy.
“Now that the campaign is over, we ask the cooperation of the media to publish our views,” he said. “Let’s not get trapped with in the games played by certain people who are afraid their contracts will be terminated.” source:http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/NewsBreak/20080317173131/Article/index_html

March 18, 2008:
Anwar: PKR welcomes BN reps, but not at a price: SHAH ALAM: PKR will welcome any Barisan Nasional assemblyman or MP who wishes to cross over to the party but there would be no “buy-overs”, said de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The rumours that the party was planning to buy leaders from Barisan were part of a negative campaign against him and the party, and he denied there was such a practice.
“We remain consistent and committed to the party’s cause (of a clean and transparent government). So if they want to surrender at a price they have come to the wrong party,” he said during a joint press conference at Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s official residence here yesterday.
Anwar admitted that he met several Barisan leaders during his visit to Sabah and Sarawak but there was no talk of money being offered to anyone to join PKR.
Asked if any of the PKR leaders had been approached to join Barisan, he said a lot of people had been approached and they had been asked to record the offers.
Anwar said he was in Selangor after meeting leaders from Penang last week.
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/18/nation/20679315&sec=nation

Anwar lepas bom asap…: Sebagai ahli politik Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim memang bijak mengatur kata-katanya.Strategi perang saraf biasanya kasi gabra pihak lawan.
Penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) itu yang telah dinobatkan oleh Setiausaha Agung DAP Lim Guan Eng sebagai bakal Perdana Menteri tahu dalam keadaan sekarang beliau boleh cakap apa saja. Ini kerana kini bezanya untuk membolehkan pembangkang menawan Putrajaya cuma 30 kerusi – 82 kerusi yang PKR-DAP-PAS sedia ada campur 30 menjadikannya 112 dari 222 kerusi parlimen semuanya. Betulkah ada ahli parlimen Barisan Nasional yang nak melompat ke kem pembangkang? Itulah yang didakwa secara terbuka oleh Anwar Isnin.
Dakwa Anwar ada sebilangan ahli parlimen BN yang berminat nak melompat parti sudah datang berjumpa dengannya. Katanya mereka tidak akan ‘dibeli’ tetapi hanya akan disambut ‘ jika mereka menerima agenda kami’. Tidak kurang menarik beliau juga mengakui ada menjalankan usaha menarik sokongan kalangan dikalangan ahli parlimen BN di seberang Laut China Selatan. Di Sabah dari 25 kerusi pembangkang menang satu kerusi parlimen iaitu Kota Kinabalu menerusi calon DAP.
Manakala di Sarawak dari 31 kerusi pembangkang menang satu kerusi Bandar Kuching,juga menerusi calon DAP.
Perbuatan lompat melompat parti bukanlah satu perkara yang asing dikalangan orang politik di Malaysia Timor. Mungkin atas sebab itu Anwar mengkhususkan sasarannya di sana.
Satu sumber BN yang layak dipercayai memberitahu Agendadaily mereka sentiasa berwaspada sekalipun dakwaan Anwar itu mungkin sengaja untuk memancing reaksi dan mencetuskan keresahan dikalangan mereka. Sumber itu melihat dakwaan itu tidak lebih dari satu perang saraf. “Biasanya hal-hal seperti itu dirahsiakan.Kita pun hairan dengar Anwar boleh cerita begitu.Menang tak rugi apa-apa dia cakap dan sebaliknya untung kalau kami panik. “Siapa saja boleh buat dakwaan macam itu.Kami juga boleh lepas cakap ada dikalangan ahli parlimen pembangkang yang berminat nak masuk BN,”katanya.
Menurutnya di Sabah mereka sudah kenalpasti orang yang menjadi broker bergiat cuba menarik ahli-ahli parlimen BN. “Biasalah orang yang cari makan begitu.Apapun buat masa ini ini saya berani kata keadaan adalah terkawal,”katanya. Cakap-cakap tentang lompat melompat parti ini sudah kedengaran berlegar sejak pagi 9 Mac lagi bila tersebar keputusan dimana BN tewas di empat negeri di semenanjung. Pihak BN didakwa cuba menarik ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri parti pembangkang di Selangor dan Perak. Bukan lagi satu rahsia para ADUN PKR negeri Selangor telah ‘dikurung’ di sebuah hotel di Subang Jaya selama beberapa hari untuk mengelak seberang kemungkinan. Manakala kebimbangan BN pula bertumpu kepada ahli-ahli parlimen di Sabah dan Sarawak. Yang pasti setakat ini belum ada sebarang indikasi mana-mana wakil rakyat kedua pihak nak melompat.- 18/3/2008
http://agendadaily.com/cmspreview/content.jsp?id=com.tms.cms.article.Article_be3f1540-cabec5bb-1d85ab90-2bb0cf2c

Former M’sian premier Dr M scoffs at Anwar’s plan for political comeback

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed scoffed the idea of a political comeback by his renegade former deputy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, ''He could win a few seats but making a comeback and taking over the government, that's a pipedream.”

Anwar has already announced he wants to run for office through a proxy in the forthcoming general election (widely speculated in March), and eventually a by-election in May. But as analysts have pointed out a pop politician can not take the top job without enough majority parliamentary support from his ‘barisan’ coalition.

And so far, Anwar’s party and its rag-tag opposition coalition is no match to the formidable machinery, media and money of the ruling 14-party ‘Barisan Nasional’ coalition.

The opposition coalition remains divided and has performed poorly in recent by-elections. Still, the opposition coalition is hoping to deny the ruling coalition a two third majority against a backdrop of widespread accusation of election irregularities.

Recent Developments - updated Feb 14, 2008 : Anwar, Malaysian Opposition, Aim to Erode Majority - bloomberg.com