Malaysia’s struggling leader faced a new and serious challenge yesterday after opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim’s dramatic claim that he is supported by enough government defectors to seize power.
Analysts said turmoil in Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s ruling coalition could hasten an exodus of lawmakers and propel Anwar to power after last month’s stunning general election gains by the opposition alliance.
Anwar, the former deputy prime minister who was sacked and jailed a decade ago, said at a rally late on Monday that he had enough support to form a government but would not act until he had a more comfortable majority.
PHOTO: EPA
“We are saying here for the first time that we are ready [to rule],” he told reporters after police broke up the rally, which drew more than 10,000 supporters to celebrate the end of his ban from politics. “But we will only enter when the majority is comfortable.”
“When we take over we want to initiate the move. Do we want to be a government with a two- or five-seat majority?” he said.
The Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance claimed more than a third of parliamentary seats and five states in the polls, an unprecedented blow for the Barisan Nasional coalition, which has governed for half-a-century.
Abdullah faces growing demands to quit, but has defiantly claimed a mandate to rule and refused to discuss a succession plan until after his United Malays National Organization (UMNO) internal leadership polls in December.
Anwar has said that coalition lawmakers from Sabah and Sarawak states on Borneo Island have approached him about switching sides, but so far none has declared their intentions publicly.
James Chin, political science professor with Monash University’s Kuala Lumpur campus, said coalition members of parliament would defect because of the infighting in UMNO and uncertainty over Abdullah’s leadership.
“Abdullah is fighting for his political life and Anwar is pouring oil into the fire by stating that he has enough defectors to form the next government,” he said.
Anwar, 60, is free to run for office again from yesterday after the expiry of a five-year ban imposed when he was convicted of corruption. Anwar spent six years in jail before storming back to prominence in the elections last month.
He had been expected to re-enter parliament quickly through a by-election in one of the seats held by his Keadilan party, but says he is in no hurry to act and will instead focus on building up the opposition.
However, Domestic Trade Minister Shahril Samad dismissed Anwar’s claims, saying he was not aware of any coalition lawmakers planning to jump.
“Not as far as I know,” he said.
Meanwhile, police are investigating Anwar’s wife and three others for taking part in Monday night’s rally, a party official said yesterday.
Anwar’s wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is the president of his People’s Justice Party, and three other party members were served with notices early yesterday to report to police for investigation of illegal assembly, said Tian Chua, a senior party official.
He said the notices stemmed from the Monday night rally. Tens of thousands of supporters gathered at a sports field to hear Anwar give his first public speech since last month’s elections and to celebrate the end of a ban on him holding political office.
Police abruptly halted the rally midway through Anwar’s speech, triggering loud jeers from the crowd. Police said the rally was illegal because Anwar’s party did not have a permit, which is needed for gatherings of more than four people.
Chua said the party members did not plan to report to police yesterday as the notices demanded, and that they would “find another appropriate date.”
“Today is not an appropriate time. We have other work,” he said.
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