Game still on after anti-climax
The hype that several Barisan Nasional MPs would be crossing over to the Pakatan Rakyat yesterday has fizzled out but the danger is not over.
The Star (15/5/08): Wednesday has come and gone, but no one has yet to cross the floor in Parliament.
For days, the buzz was that 17 MPs from Barisan Nasional would be defecting to Pakatan Rakyat on Wednesday.
It was likely the more hopeful had imagined that they would be a step closer to being the government of the day by Thursday. The Sabah MPs had heightened the mood over the past week when they defiantly aired their unhappiness, raising hopes on the Opposition bench.
But nothing of that sort happened. The Barisan is still in power, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is still the Prime Minister and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s promises of having the numbers to form the government remain promises.
As Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi pointed out, one would have sensed it in the air if something so big were about to happen.
“There was a marked shift in mood by yesterday. The Sabah and Sarawak MPs who spoke in the morning made veiled criticism of the federal government for not taking care of their states but they also balanced it with pro-Barisan rhetoric,” said Ooi.
By afternoon, the anticipatory mood had evaporated. The moment, as they say, had passed.
But, said Ooi, it was quite clear even as early as Tuesday that some sort of compromise had been struck with the Sabah MPs.
“I would think Pak Lah used his experience to defuse the situation for now,” said Ooi.
It is no secret Abdullah has been busy fire-fighting the last few days, meeting up with key Sabah leaders, listening to them, asking for their understanding and providing some degree of assurance.
He has managed to forestall another potential crisis until at least August, which is the deadline of sorts from SAPP president and one of Sabah’s most fiery politicians, Datuk Yong Teck Lee, on Sabah demands.
In fact, he must have been pretty confident of their loyalty because he surprised everyone with an unscheduled appearance in Parliament on Tuesday at 11pm.
Datuk Rahman Dahlan, MP for Kota Belud in Sabah, was inside when he saw MPs, including a few ministers and deputy ministers, rushing in through almost every door in the House. Minutes later, a smiling and very relaxed-looking Abdullah walked in, took his seat at the prime spot and listened to the debate till Parliament adjourned at 11.45pm.
Younger MPs like Rahman called it a “spot check” but the political significance was quite clear. Abdullah was basically saying he is still around, he is not running scared of all the speculation of defections and he has things under control.
The east Malaysian MPs had caused ripples the past week, making speeches that were akin to veiled threats. It was a direct sign of just how dissatisfied they were with the political spoils of war, so to speak, and seemed to lend credence to Anwar’s claim of support.
“We are just voicing issues we feel strongly about. I’m quite close to my fellow Sabah MPs and I did not get the vibes that they would abandon Umno,” said Rahman.
It has been such an anti-climax and as Wednesday drew to a close, even PKR members were asking what had become of the promise of defections.
Among the Opposition coalition, PAS politicians have been the least excited over the crossover talk. Said a PAS MP from Kelantan: “Change must come from the ballot box. A coalition built on defections will not be stable or respected.”
The DAP, on its part, is trying to contain its assemblyman from defecting in Perak where the Pakatan Rakyat is holding on to power by a three-seat margin.
Still, the danger for Abdullah and the Barisan is not over, merely defused.
But yesterday’s non-event has deepened the perception that Anwar is a master at mind games. The build-up about him forming the government has been so tremendous that when he called a press conference on Monday, the media rushed to his office only to learn that it was about the Royal Commission report on the V. K. Lingam video.
Anwar has some names on his side but the numbers probably do not add up to forming the next government. Otherwise, he would have declared game over for Barisan by now. (Joceline Tan)
The Star (15/5/08): Wednesday has come and gone, but no one has yet to cross the floor in Parliament.
For days, the buzz was that 17 MPs from Barisan Nasional would be defecting to Pakatan Rakyat on Wednesday.
It was likely the more hopeful had imagined that they would be a step closer to being the government of the day by Thursday. The Sabah MPs had heightened the mood over the past week when they defiantly aired their unhappiness, raising hopes on the Opposition bench.
But nothing of that sort happened. The Barisan is still in power, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is still the Prime Minister and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s promises of having the numbers to form the government remain promises.
As Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi pointed out, one would have sensed it in the air if something so big were about to happen.
“There was a marked shift in mood by yesterday. The Sabah and Sarawak MPs who spoke in the morning made veiled criticism of the federal government for not taking care of their states but they also balanced it with pro-Barisan rhetoric,” said Ooi.
By afternoon, the anticipatory mood had evaporated. The moment, as they say, had passed.
But, said Ooi, it was quite clear even as early as Tuesday that some sort of compromise had been struck with the Sabah MPs.
“I would think Pak Lah used his experience to defuse the situation for now,” said Ooi.
It is no secret Abdullah has been busy fire-fighting the last few days, meeting up with key Sabah leaders, listening to them, asking for their understanding and providing some degree of assurance.
He has managed to forestall another potential crisis until at least August, which is the deadline of sorts from SAPP president and one of Sabah’s most fiery politicians, Datuk Yong Teck Lee, on Sabah demands.
In fact, he must have been pretty confident of their loyalty because he surprised everyone with an unscheduled appearance in Parliament on Tuesday at 11pm.
Datuk Rahman Dahlan, MP for Kota Belud in Sabah, was inside when he saw MPs, including a few ministers and deputy ministers, rushing in through almost every door in the House. Minutes later, a smiling and very relaxed-looking Abdullah walked in, took his seat at the prime spot and listened to the debate till Parliament adjourned at 11.45pm.
Younger MPs like Rahman called it a “spot check” but the political significance was quite clear. Abdullah was basically saying he is still around, he is not running scared of all the speculation of defections and he has things under control.
The east Malaysian MPs had caused ripples the past week, making speeches that were akin to veiled threats. It was a direct sign of just how dissatisfied they were with the political spoils of war, so to speak, and seemed to lend credence to Anwar’s claim of support.
“We are just voicing issues we feel strongly about. I’m quite close to my fellow Sabah MPs and I did not get the vibes that they would abandon Umno,” said Rahman.
It has been such an anti-climax and as Wednesday drew to a close, even PKR members were asking what had become of the promise of defections.
Among the Opposition coalition, PAS politicians have been the least excited over the crossover talk. Said a PAS MP from Kelantan: “Change must come from the ballot box. A coalition built on defections will not be stable or respected.”
The DAP, on its part, is trying to contain its assemblyman from defecting in Perak where the Pakatan Rakyat is holding on to power by a three-seat margin.
Still, the danger for Abdullah and the Barisan is not over, merely defused.
But yesterday’s non-event has deepened the perception that Anwar is a master at mind games. The build-up about him forming the government has been so tremendous that when he called a press conference on Monday, the media rushed to his office only to learn that it was about the Royal Commission report on the V. K. Lingam video.
Anwar has some names on his side but the numbers probably do not add up to forming the next government. Otherwise, he would have declared game over for Barisan by now. (Joceline Tan)
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