As the Umno-BN media continued to poke for the Achilles heel in the Pakatan Rakyat - with attention for the moment zooming in on the Islamist PAS - DAP’s proudly secular supremo Lim Kit Siang is keeping his cool.
“The media have been after me for my reaction to the press conference statement by Pas secretary-general Datuk Mustapha Ali that Pas will hold unity talks with Umno only if the other two Pakatan Rakyat partners, PKR and DAP, are included in the talks,” said Kit Siang in his latest blog posting.
“I will await explanation of Mustapha’s proposal at the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council meeting on Monday before reacting.”
Burning Question
Refusing to give the Umno-BN any fodder that can be twisted to give an impression that PAS was split down the line and the Pakatan about to snap into three, Kit Siang posed the question that has been on the minds of many Malaysians.
Especially after Prime Minister Najib Razak said his Umno party had “no problems” with forming a unity government with PAS.
As Umno and PAS are respectively the largest and second largest Malay political parties in the country, where will a tie-up between the two leave the other ethnic groups?
So far, in chase for the sensational and perhaps also in obedience to their political bosses, the mainstream press has not thought to ponder this issue.
Nevertheless, the burning question has not slipped past prominent civil society leaders.
“This proposed unity government is very new, serious and sensitive,” Ramon Navaratnam, past president of Transparency International told Suara Keadilan on Tuesday.
“The PM will help to remove a lot of the doubt and confusion if he explains clearly what are his objectives and how he proposes to go about setting up this unity government.
“No doubt the proposal may have initiated from PAS, but no other than our PM himself has expressed interest to pursue the matter further. Hence it is vital for Najib to give more clarification before confusion and even disharmony sets in.
“Every ethnic group has a right to be a part of the government of the day. This is the basis of our social contract and also the PM’s 1Malaysia concept. Therefore the government now led by Najib owes it to the people to remove the clouds that are gathering over our heads, particularly at this time when we are in the midst of a deepening recession.”
Deafening silence
Like Ramon, Kit Siang is also wondering why there has been no sound from the MCA, MIC and Gerakan - which are supposed to represent the non-Malay groups.
Aren’t they worried what sort of deal Najib will cut with PAS and how it will leave their constituents.
Or don’t they care anymore?
After all, they have already lost so many seats in the last election, even if they lost all their remaining ones in the next, they can still count on Najib to give them special senatorships, right?
Like the one he recently gave to Gerakan No. 1 Koh Tsu Koon, remember? But of course, this is all provided Najib can form the next federal government, that is!
Said Kit Siang: “I will like to hear not only what Najib and other Umno leaders have to say, but what MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other BN component parties have to say about Mustapha’s proposal.
“Or are MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the other BN component parties not allowed to react before Umno has decided on the line that must be adhered to by all in BN?”
Related Stories:
Time for Najib to explain what a unity government is?
“The media have been after me for my reaction to the press conference statement by Pas secretary-general Datuk Mustapha Ali that Pas will hold unity talks with Umno only if the other two Pakatan Rakyat partners, PKR and DAP, are included in the talks,” said Kit Siang in his latest blog posting.
“I will await explanation of Mustapha’s proposal at the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council meeting on Monday before reacting.”
Burning Question
Refusing to give the Umno-BN any fodder that can be twisted to give an impression that PAS was split down the line and the Pakatan about to snap into three, Kit Siang posed the question that has been on the minds of many Malaysians.
Especially after Prime Minister Najib Razak said his Umno party had “no problems” with forming a unity government with PAS.
As Umno and PAS are respectively the largest and second largest Malay political parties in the country, where will a tie-up between the two leave the other ethnic groups?
So far, in chase for the sensational and perhaps also in obedience to their political bosses, the mainstream press has not thought to ponder this issue.
Nevertheless, the burning question has not slipped past prominent civil society leaders.
“This proposed unity government is very new, serious and sensitive,” Ramon Navaratnam, past president of Transparency International told Suara Keadilan on Tuesday.
“The PM will help to remove a lot of the doubt and confusion if he explains clearly what are his objectives and how he proposes to go about setting up this unity government.
“No doubt the proposal may have initiated from PAS, but no other than our PM himself has expressed interest to pursue the matter further. Hence it is vital for Najib to give more clarification before confusion and even disharmony sets in.
“Every ethnic group has a right to be a part of the government of the day. This is the basis of our social contract and also the PM’s 1Malaysia concept. Therefore the government now led by Najib owes it to the people to remove the clouds that are gathering over our heads, particularly at this time when we are in the midst of a deepening recession.”
Deafening silence
Like Ramon, Kit Siang is also wondering why there has been no sound from the MCA, MIC and Gerakan - which are supposed to represent the non-Malay groups.
Aren’t they worried what sort of deal Najib will cut with PAS and how it will leave their constituents.
Or don’t they care anymore?
After all, they have already lost so many seats in the last election, even if they lost all their remaining ones in the next, they can still count on Najib to give them special senatorships, right?
Like the one he recently gave to Gerakan No. 1 Koh Tsu Koon, remember? But of course, this is all provided Najib can form the next federal government, that is!
Said Kit Siang: “I will like to hear not only what Najib and other Umno leaders have to say, but what MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other BN component parties have to say about Mustapha’s proposal.
“Or are MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the other BN component parties not allowed to react before Umno has decided on the line that must be adhered to by all in BN?”
Related Stories:
Time for Najib to explain what a unity government is?
Suara Keadilan also appends below the full text of Kit Siang’s statement posted on Wednesday:
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s latest tango in the Umno-Pas “unity government” talks is highly suspect as
its real motive is to split PAS and divide Pakatan Rakyat.
Najib said he believed Pas was sincere in wanting to form a unity government with Umno as proposed by its president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and Umno would not reject any co-operation that could bring benefit to the country.
Why has Najib suddenly warmed up to the idea of Umno-Pas “unity government” when only three days earlier the Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Umno President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had poured cold water on it, dismissing the proposal as unlikely to become a reality with differences within Pas itself and the Pakatan Rakyat parties.
Muhyiddin even said that Umno was prepared to “to respond to the proposal if it was mutually beneficial but would not do so now. Until today, there is nothing concrete.”
Why has the top Umno leadership suddenly changed tack on this issue, if not to exploit what they perceived as opportunities to exploit differences and contradictions in Pas and Pakatan Rakyat.
What is the reaction of MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the other BN component parties to the idea of a “Umno-Pas unity government” talks? Are they just simply dumb and irrelevant in the highest echelons of Barisan Nasional leadership?
DAP has made clear our position on any Umno-Pas “unity government” talks and the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council will meet on Monday to hear Hadi’s explanation on the issue.
I don’t see MCA or Gerakan asking for an explanation from Najib on the proposed “Umno-Pas unity government talks”! Why?
The media have been after me for my reaction to the press conference statement by Pas secretary-general Datuk Mustapha Ali that Pas will hold unity talks with Umno only if the other two Pakatan Rakyat partners, PKR and DAP, are included in the talks.
I will await explanation of Mustapha’s proposal at the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council meeting on Monday before reacting.
However, I will like to hear not only what Najib and other Umno leaders have to say, but what MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other BN component parties have to say about Mustapha’s proposal. Or are MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the other BN component parties not allowed to react before Umno has decided on the line that must be adhered to by all in BN?
SK
18/06/09
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