PAS reveals meeting on possibility of Islamic party leaving opposition coalition
KUALA LUMPUR - JUST days after the opposition made massive inroads and swept several states in the March election, Umno president Abdullah Badawi, former Selangor menteri besar Khir Toyo and leaders from the Islamist opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) held secret talks to discuss political power-sharing.
Selangor MP Khalid Samad, who was part of the PAS delegation, along with PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa and PAS elections chief Mustafa Ali, said the five discussed the possibility of PAS abandoning the opposition coalition over coffee and nasi briyani.
The meeting, which took place in Prime Minister Abdullah's former residence, behind the Istana Negara, some time between March 9 and 13, is apparently one of three closely guarded meetings between PAS leaders and Datuk Seri Abdullah held this year
Mr Abdullah revealed on Sunday that he had three such meetings with top PAS leaders but did not give any details.
His disclosure comes amid talk that some PAS members were uneasy with coalition partner Democratic Action Party's (DAP) stance on the Islamic party's religious agenda.
Mr Khalid said that PAS had requested the meeting months before the election to discuss issues of Malay unity and Islam in general.
Umno responded to PAS' overture only after the March 8 election, he said.
'It was quite desperate. It had never lost Selangor before,' Mr Khalid said.
He added that they decided to go ahead with the meeting because of the delay in the swearing-in of the new Selangor menteri besar.
Mr Khir had apparently hinted he was willing to become deputy menteri besar if Selangor PAS commissioner Hassan Ali was made menteri besar.
'But we supported PKR's Khalid Ibrahim for the top post,' Mr Khalid told The Straits Times, adding that they were unsure whether Umno 'would really relinquish the state to Pakatan Rakyat (PKR)'.
He added that during the meeting, the Umno side played up the racial issue, voicing concerns over DAP coming to power and the possible erosion of Malay rights and power.
Other PAS insiders said Umno wanted PAS to cooperate with it in the states ruled by the Islamic party, like Kelantan, Kedah and Perak, and sideline its partner PKR.
In return, PAS was promised that it would be able to dictate certain terms, like its choice of menteri besar.
'The meeting ended with no agreement,' said Mr Khalid, insisting that 'no way' would PAS ever join BN.
He also brushed aside talk that PAS had been downgraded to a 'junior partner' within the opposition alliance, and that fresh sodomy charges against de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had repelled many in PAS.
He claimed that Mr Abdullah revealed the talks as part of a ploy to break up the opposition.
Yesterday, both Mr Anwar and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng downplayed the significance of the talks, saying that they were aware of them.
Political analyst Sayuti Omar said that while PAS might not join BN, it might not rule out setting up a loose form of cooperation with BN in the states it ruled.
He said PAS was uneasy within the opposition coalition, particularly over issues relating to Malay and Muslim rights.
'The DAP is always harping on religious issues. It wants to make even bigger temples, for example. All these demands are making PAS unhappy,' Mr Sayuti told The Straits Times.
He also said that many in PAS were unhappy over Mr Anwar's case.
He said: 'As an Islamic party, PAS just can't accept a second round of sodomy charges. If Anwar is charged in court again, there is a possibility PAS will leave the opposition pact.'
PAS' path to power• PAS (Parti Islam SeMalaysia) is the third largest political party in Malaysia, with 800,000 members, after the Malaysian Chinese Association's one million.
• Its main aim is to set up an Islamic state.
• It enjoys strong support in the northern and eastern conservative belt, which includes Kelantan and Terengganu.
• The party started reaching out to non-Malays and non-Muslims in recent years as part of efforts to woo voters.
• It formed an alliance with Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party in the newly formed Pakatan Rakyat coalition, which controls the five states of Kelantan, Kedah, Selangor, Perak and Penang.
Key dates for PAS:
• 1955: Is registered as Parti Islam SeMalaysia.
• 1959: Comes to power in Kelantan during the general election. It rules for 18 years.
• 1974: Joins the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
• 1977: Is expelled from BN amid an internal leadership crisis.
• 1978: Contests on its own in elections but loses in its bid to capture Kelantan, which is won by Umno.
• 1990: Collaborates with Semangat 46, a breakaway Umno faction, and wins the state of Kelantan in the elections.
HAZLIN HASSAN
Anwar winning in the arena of public opinion
By Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Bureau Chief
But keeping the opposition alliance together is something else
KUALA LUMPUR - BUFFETED by allegations of sodomy and facing possible jail time, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has so far shown himself to be a master politician in keeping public opinion on his side.
Recent polls show that most Malaysians believe the accusation to be politically motivated.
But cracks rapidly showing up in Datuk Seri Anwar's Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance indicate that he may have a struggle on his hands keeping the coalition of unlikely members together as he fights to clear his name and stay out of jail.
Mr Anwar has shown tactical skill in his reaction to the fallout from the sexual assault charge made by his 23-year-old aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan three weeks ago.
As Malaysians reeled in shock at the apparent re-run of a similar charge levelled at him a decade ago, Mr Anwar swiftly went on the attack, pointing to Deputy Premier Najib Razak, his closest rival for the premiership of Malaysia, as the one behind a political conspiracy to smear his name.
If Malaysians were initially unsure whether to see Mr Anwar as a victim or as a politician whose closeted activities had finally caught up with him, it would appear that more are now on his side.
A poll of 225 Malays conducted three weeks ago by the independent Merdeka Centre research firm found that only 6per cent believed the sodomy accusation, and nearly 60per cent thought it to be politically motivated.
Mr Ibrahim Suffian, who runs Merdeka Centre, told The Straits Times yesterday that a second survey conducted recently showed almost identical results. This survey covered 1,000 Malaysians of all races.
The parallels between now and 1998 - on both occasions Mr Anwar was hit by sodomy charges while challenging the incumbent for power - were already a plus for the opposition leader in the battle for public opinion.
The message - that there is a political conspiracy to destroy his political career - has since been hammered home by his repeated attacks on the credibility of Malaysia's justice system, and his stand-offs with the police, most recently over his refusal to give a DNA sample for fear of tampering.
The police did not help their case with the heavy-handed use of balaclava-clad officers to grab him for questioning.
Another plus for Mr Anwar: He faces a Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition still struggling to come to terms with its drubbing in the March 8 polls.
Political analyst Khoo Kay Peng sees the BN as suffering from a credibility deficit and believes that, regardless of the outcome in the Anwar saga, it will be the loser.
'Whether he is convicted or not, whether he goes to jail or not, the winner will be Anwar. In politics, public perception is everything,' he said.
Yet the prize that Mr Anwar wants - taking over the government of Malaysia - seems to be slipping out of reach.
The Pakatan Rakyat alliance that he cobbled together is showing signs of increasing strain. Issues of race and religion divide coalition partners Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) and the Chinese- based Democratic Action Party (DAP).
Mr Anwar's message of multiracialism has also discomfited some in PAS and in his own Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), who fear it would be at the expense of Malay rights and dominance.
The first sign of a crack came a few weeks back when Umno made known publicly that the Perak state government was close to falling apart.
Perak DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham denies it but the fact remains that the opposition coalition there will topple if just two of its state assemblymen defect.
The defections, if any, are more likely to come from PKR.
PAS, too, is showing signs of restlessness by holding 'Malay unity' talks with its arch rival Umno.
Political analysts Ong Kian Ming and Oon Yeoh, in an article on the news portal Malaysiakini, suggest that Mr Anwar has gone too fast in his bid to seize power.
In the process, they note, 'he has totally neglected to build up the institutional capacity of Pakatan as an alternative governing coalition'.
The sodomy charge and legal entanglements will hobble Mr Anwar in his quest, deterring potential defectors from the BN and unsettling his PAS allies.
Significantly, neither PAS nor the DAP has endorsed his claim of a political conspiracy even as they demand an independent investigation.
Mr Anwar has embarked on a roadshow to defend himself. The days ahead will not be easy. He may win his private battle, but the war for power has become much more difficult with a fracturing base.
source: Malaysian Bar
KUALA LUMPUR - JUST days after the opposition made massive inroads and swept several states in the March election, Umno president Abdullah Badawi, former Selangor menteri besar Khir Toyo and leaders from the Islamist opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) held secret talks to discuss political power-sharing.
Selangor MP Khalid Samad, who was part of the PAS delegation, along with PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa and PAS elections chief Mustafa Ali, said the five discussed the possibility of PAS abandoning the opposition coalition over coffee and nasi briyani.
The meeting, which took place in Prime Minister Abdullah's former residence, behind the Istana Negara, some time between March 9 and 13, is apparently one of three closely guarded meetings between PAS leaders and Datuk Seri Abdullah held this year
Mr Abdullah revealed on Sunday that he had three such meetings with top PAS leaders but did not give any details.
His disclosure comes amid talk that some PAS members were uneasy with coalition partner Democratic Action Party's (DAP) stance on the Islamic party's religious agenda.
Mr Khalid said that PAS had requested the meeting months before the election to discuss issues of Malay unity and Islam in general.
Umno responded to PAS' overture only after the March 8 election, he said.
'It was quite desperate. It had never lost Selangor before,' Mr Khalid said.
He added that they decided to go ahead with the meeting because of the delay in the swearing-in of the new Selangor menteri besar.
Mr Khir had apparently hinted he was willing to become deputy menteri besar if Selangor PAS commissioner Hassan Ali was made menteri besar.
'But we supported PKR's Khalid Ibrahim for the top post,' Mr Khalid told The Straits Times, adding that they were unsure whether Umno 'would really relinquish the state to Pakatan Rakyat (PKR)'.
He added that during the meeting, the Umno side played up the racial issue, voicing concerns over DAP coming to power and the possible erosion of Malay rights and power.
Other PAS insiders said Umno wanted PAS to cooperate with it in the states ruled by the Islamic party, like Kelantan, Kedah and Perak, and sideline its partner PKR.
In return, PAS was promised that it would be able to dictate certain terms, like its choice of menteri besar.
'The meeting ended with no agreement,' said Mr Khalid, insisting that 'no way' would PAS ever join BN.
He also brushed aside talk that PAS had been downgraded to a 'junior partner' within the opposition alliance, and that fresh sodomy charges against de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had repelled many in PAS.
He claimed that Mr Abdullah revealed the talks as part of a ploy to break up the opposition.
Yesterday, both Mr Anwar and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng downplayed the significance of the talks, saying that they were aware of them.
Political analyst Sayuti Omar said that while PAS might not join BN, it might not rule out setting up a loose form of cooperation with BN in the states it ruled.
He said PAS was uneasy within the opposition coalition, particularly over issues relating to Malay and Muslim rights.
'The DAP is always harping on religious issues. It wants to make even bigger temples, for example. All these demands are making PAS unhappy,' Mr Sayuti told The Straits Times.
He also said that many in PAS were unhappy over Mr Anwar's case.
He said: 'As an Islamic party, PAS just can't accept a second round of sodomy charges. If Anwar is charged in court again, there is a possibility PAS will leave the opposition pact.'
PAS' path to power• PAS (Parti Islam SeMalaysia) is the third largest political party in Malaysia, with 800,000 members, after the Malaysian Chinese Association's one million.
• Its main aim is to set up an Islamic state.
• It enjoys strong support in the northern and eastern conservative belt, which includes Kelantan and Terengganu.
• The party started reaching out to non-Malays and non-Muslims in recent years as part of efforts to woo voters.
• It formed an alliance with Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party in the newly formed Pakatan Rakyat coalition, which controls the five states of Kelantan, Kedah, Selangor, Perak and Penang.
Key dates for PAS:
• 1955: Is registered as Parti Islam SeMalaysia.
• 1959: Comes to power in Kelantan during the general election. It rules for 18 years.
• 1974: Joins the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
• 1977: Is expelled from BN amid an internal leadership crisis.
• 1978: Contests on its own in elections but loses in its bid to capture Kelantan, which is won by Umno.
• 1990: Collaborates with Semangat 46, a breakaway Umno faction, and wins the state of Kelantan in the elections.
HAZLIN HASSAN
Anwar winning in the arena of public opinion
By Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Bureau Chief
But keeping the opposition alliance together is something else
KUALA LUMPUR - BUFFETED by allegations of sodomy and facing possible jail time, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has so far shown himself to be a master politician in keeping public opinion on his side.
Recent polls show that most Malaysians believe the accusation to be politically motivated.
But cracks rapidly showing up in Datuk Seri Anwar's Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance indicate that he may have a struggle on his hands keeping the coalition of unlikely members together as he fights to clear his name and stay out of jail.
Mr Anwar has shown tactical skill in his reaction to the fallout from the sexual assault charge made by his 23-year-old aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan three weeks ago.
As Malaysians reeled in shock at the apparent re-run of a similar charge levelled at him a decade ago, Mr Anwar swiftly went on the attack, pointing to Deputy Premier Najib Razak, his closest rival for the premiership of Malaysia, as the one behind a political conspiracy to smear his name.
If Malaysians were initially unsure whether to see Mr Anwar as a victim or as a politician whose closeted activities had finally caught up with him, it would appear that more are now on his side.
A poll of 225 Malays conducted three weeks ago by the independent Merdeka Centre research firm found that only 6per cent believed the sodomy accusation, and nearly 60per cent thought it to be politically motivated.
Mr Ibrahim Suffian, who runs Merdeka Centre, told The Straits Times yesterday that a second survey conducted recently showed almost identical results. This survey covered 1,000 Malaysians of all races.
The parallels between now and 1998 - on both occasions Mr Anwar was hit by sodomy charges while challenging the incumbent for power - were already a plus for the opposition leader in the battle for public opinion.
The message - that there is a political conspiracy to destroy his political career - has since been hammered home by his repeated attacks on the credibility of Malaysia's justice system, and his stand-offs with the police, most recently over his refusal to give a DNA sample for fear of tampering.
The police did not help their case with the heavy-handed use of balaclava-clad officers to grab him for questioning.
Another plus for Mr Anwar: He faces a Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition still struggling to come to terms with its drubbing in the March 8 polls.
Political analyst Khoo Kay Peng sees the BN as suffering from a credibility deficit and believes that, regardless of the outcome in the Anwar saga, it will be the loser.
'Whether he is convicted or not, whether he goes to jail or not, the winner will be Anwar. In politics, public perception is everything,' he said.
Yet the prize that Mr Anwar wants - taking over the government of Malaysia - seems to be slipping out of reach.
The Pakatan Rakyat alliance that he cobbled together is showing signs of increasing strain. Issues of race and religion divide coalition partners Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) and the Chinese- based Democratic Action Party (DAP).
Mr Anwar's message of multiracialism has also discomfited some in PAS and in his own Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), who fear it would be at the expense of Malay rights and dominance.
The first sign of a crack came a few weeks back when Umno made known publicly that the Perak state government was close to falling apart.
Perak DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham denies it but the fact remains that the opposition coalition there will topple if just two of its state assemblymen defect.
The defections, if any, are more likely to come from PKR.
PAS, too, is showing signs of restlessness by holding 'Malay unity' talks with its arch rival Umno.
Political analysts Ong Kian Ming and Oon Yeoh, in an article on the news portal Malaysiakini, suggest that Mr Anwar has gone too fast in his bid to seize power.
In the process, they note, 'he has totally neglected to build up the institutional capacity of Pakatan as an alternative governing coalition'.
The sodomy charge and legal entanglements will hobble Mr Anwar in his quest, deterring potential defectors from the BN and unsettling his PAS allies.
Significantly, neither PAS nor the DAP has endorsed his claim of a political conspiracy even as they demand an independent investigation.
Mr Anwar has embarked on a roadshow to defend himself. The days ahead will not be easy. He may win his private battle, but the war for power has become much more difficult with a fracturing base.
source: Malaysian Bar
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