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Penanti by-election

‘Crisis created out of nothing’ within Pakatan

analysis by Himanshu Bhatt
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
IT SEEMED that a new by-election
battle between Barisan Nasional and
Pakatan Rakyat was averted when
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib
Abdul Razak announced BN may
not contest the vacant Penanti state
assembly seat in Penang.
But Najib’s call to drop arms
– saying another by-election would
be a waste of public funds – only
diverted the view from another fric-
tion in Penang, within the ranks of
the Pakatan.
A by-election had seemed im-
minent following the resignation of
PKR’s Mohammad Fairus Khairud-
din, under investigation by the Ma-
laysian Anti-Corruption Commission
(MACC) for alleged illegal links with
quarry operators.
A visibly frustrated Chief Min-
ister Lim Guan Eng told reporters
yesterday that he had still not gotten
PKR supremo Datuk Seri Anwar Ib-
rahim’s recommendation about who
should succeed Fairus as the deputy
chief minister (I). The post, reserved
for PKR, has been vacant for almost
two weeks.
Compounding this annoyance is
the fact that Lim’s office received
PKR’s fax about Fairus’ resignation
as the Penanti assemblyman only
after the media had been informed
on Thursday.
Lim was livid. “As far as I am
concerned, I was never informed. I
only knew about it when the press
informed us,” he said tersely.
Although it is his prerogative to
select the deputy chief minister, Lim,
who is also DAP secretary-general,
is unwilling to do so without PKR’s
input, in the spirit of the necessary
cooperation within the coalition.
Even if he does appoint one, it
would be disconcerting for the PKR
person who would have to get his
party’s consent.
The irony is that this whole af-
fair, which has caused heated public
speculation and BN ridicule, could
have been averted. It was, in the
words of one Pakatan member, “a
crisis created out of nothing”.
For at the heart of it is Anwar’s
mysterious, obstinate tendency to
hold back and keep things to himself.
It has not only ruffled DAP feathers,
but has also caused some consterna-
tion within the PKR.
What perhaps perplexes the most
is how blasé Anwar has seemed over
the matter.
In fact, both DAP and PKR mem-
bers were taken aback when it was
revealed that Fairus had already sent
his resignation as assemblyman to
Anwar on March 19.
As far as I am
concerned, I was
never informed. I
only knew about it when
the press informed us”
– Lim on Fairus’ resignation
PKR Penang chief Zahrain Mohd
Hashim confesses to not knowing
what had transpired.
“From the beginning when re-
porters kept asking me why Fairus
dropped his post, I just didn’t know
how to answer. This was only dis-
cussed privately between Fairus and
Datuk Seri Anwar.”
Anwar finally showed up in
Penanti last Friday night to publicly
explain – two days after Fairus had
threatened during an interview with
Chinese daily Nanyang Siang Pau to
spill the beans on sensitive internal
Pakatan Rakyat affairs if PKR did
not help defend him against MACC’s
pending charges.
For once, Anwar praised Fairus,
said he respected his decision to
quit, and promised to defend him.
It was Anwar, incidentally, who
had publicly rebuked Fairus last
August for slacking in his work as
assemblyman.
He did not reveal much else.
All he did was hint that the next
deputy chief minister (I) would be
a “senior state PKR Malay leader”.
This effectively excluded the two
current Malay PKR assemblymen
– Abdul Malik Abul Kasim, who is
also a state executive councillor, and
Makthar Shapee.
The duo have remained quiet
throughout this uncomfortable pe-
riod. Malik, in particular, has silently
watched his name being tossed about
with scathing speculations in the
press.
It also meant that the new the
deputy chief minister would first
have to stand in Penanti to qualify as
an assemblyman.
Anwar reasoned that a “strong”
Malay is necessary to counter Um-
no’s attacks, especially since ousted
Perak mentri besar Datuk Seri Mohd
Nizar Jamaluddin of PAS had been
assailed as being a “puppet” of the
DAP during the recent by-election
campaign for the Bukit Gantang
parliamentary seat.
Abdul Malik, however, has done
well in the state executive council,
and is highly regarded by Lim and
others in the government.
He was, for instance, the main
engine in developing Penang’s new
“halal hub” industry, an initiative
that even won admiration and
support from the BN federal govern-
ment.
But with the frenzy of rumours
swirling around, why is there such
secrecy and delay in a simple thing
like naming a new deputy chief
minister?
Lim is blunt when pressed for
an answer: “Why don’t you ask
Anwar?”

Nation needs time to cool off: Tee Keat Contest Penanti,

by Giam Say Khoon
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: MCA
president Datuk Seri Ong Tee
Keat says the nation needs a
cooling-off period to depoliti-
cise the environment for the
country to move forward.
In his blog www.
ongteekeat.net, Ong said the
proposal for Barisan Nasional
not to contest in the impend-
ing by-election may turn out
to be a major step forward to
cool the country’s “hot politi-
cal climate”.
“We are too politicised
to a point that we forget the
meaning of democracy. It is
not a show of strength or a
tool to satisfy one’s private
agenda.
“While democracy is about
free elections, it also means
the right of the people to be
free from needless elections
and the right not to contest.
“If we choose to exercise
the right not to contest, we do
so because it is the right thing
to do in the current case of
Penanti,” he said.
Ong added that BN was
prepared to give a walkover
because it wanted to focus
on the common good for the
nation.
He said the message BN
received in the recent by-
elections was loud and clear
that it has much more to do
before the people would begin
to experience real change.
“There is much work for us
to meet newer aspirations. Let
us focus our time and energy
to strengthening the nation in
these difficult times.
“A cooling period to depo-
liticise the nation is appropri-
ate and may just be what we
need. We will listen to the
people before arriving at a
final decision,” he said.
Ong also said no one can
stop other qualified candi-
dates from contesting in the
by-election.
“If that happens we will
respect their right to contest
while BN exercises it’s right
not to contest.”
On Saturday, Prime Min-
ister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul
Razak announced that BN
may not contest in the by-
election in Penanti should the
seat be declared vacant by the
Election Commission (EC).
The Penang state assembly
had on Friday notified the
commission of the vacancy
following a resignation letter
submitted by former deputy
chief minister I Mohammad
Fairuz Khairuddin.
The Election Commission
will meet on Wednesday to
determine whether the Pen-
anti seat is vacant
EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul
Aziz Mohd Yusof has said the
commission would announce
on Friday the status of the seat
and the date for the by-elec-
tion if a vacancy occurred.
Najib said a decision on
wthether to contest would be
made after the Umno supreme
council and BN component
leaders have met.
Earlier, Gerakan president
Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon also
supported the move not to
contest in the by-election.
He said it would be a
wise decision for the BN not
to contest in the by-election
caused by Parti Keadilan
Rakyat’s internal conflict and
“it is better for the BN leaders
to focus on their work to serve
the people”.
In Kuala Lumpur, MIC
Information chief Datuk
M.Saravanan says the party
would abide by whatever
decision to be taken by the
BN leadership on whether
to contest the Penanti state
seat.
“If the BN leadership
feels that the by-election is a
political ploy by the Opposi-
tion, especially Parti Keadilan
Rakyat, and a waste of public
funds, then we will follow the
decision.
“But as an individual I
want to state that I hope the
BN will contest the seat. This
is because we don’t want to
forsake traditional BN sup-
porters in the constituency.
We have to be fair to our
voters who have been sup-
porting us all this while,” he
told reporters after opening
the Kuala Lumpur Silamban
Association annual general
meeting here yesterday, re-
ports Bernama
Saravanan said Parti
Keadilan Rakyat was clearly
using by-elections as a politi-
cal gimmick to maintain the
momentum of the March
2008 general election which
saw the Opposition wresting
power in Selangor, Perak,
Pulau Pinang and Kedah and
denying BN of two-thirds
majority in Parliament.
Dr M urges BN
RAUB: Former prime minister Tun Dr
Mahathir Mohamad said Barisan Na-
sional should contest the Penanti state
seat in Penang.
If not, BN members and supporters
in the area would be disappointed,
besides it would spoil the spirit and
dignity of past party champions, he said
Press at a function organised by the Raub
Umno Youth here yesterday.
Digest: He said BN had never been afraid of
Snap contesting in any elections, even in PAS
polls in strongholds in Kelantan.
On the crooked bridge project link-
Sarawak? ing Johor and Singapore, Mahathir said
pg 7 it should not have been terminated at
all.
“It’s a lie to say the people of Johor
don’t want the bridge to be built,” he
said.
He also called on Umno and BN
members to continue to speak up if
their leaders did something wrong.
“We have to be critical in a good way
and don’t only remain loyal to leaders
even if they clearly made mistakes.”
He also reminded Umno leaders and
the younger generation not to take an
easy route to gain positions and power,
including through corrupt practice
which would in the end ruin the party.
– Bernama