Mariam Mokhtar, Malaysia Chronicle

Battle-worn but still spirited, Opposition Leader, Anwar Ibrahim said that Pakatan Rakyat was a ‘survivor’. But he must also have recalled Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s attack on Pakatan; Najib said he doubted the opposition could work together as a team because of their “differing ideologies.”

"You name it, whatever problems, whatever hardship or stone or rock that the Umno-BN could find, they have thrown it at us. But we are committed to an agenda of change and that needs the removal of the current federal government," Anwar told Malaysia Chronicle.

He was referring to the suspension of four MPs including himself on the last sitting of the Dewan Rakyat and also the refusal of the Parliament’s Rights and Privileges Committee to give him the opportunity to present his evidence that APCO had been behind both the 1 Malaysia and One Israel concepts.

Over 2,000 delegates packed the conference hall to hear their main attractions - PAS president Hadi Awang, Mujahid Yusof Rawa, PKR president Wan Azizah, Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh – in what might well be the most critical meeting before Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak calls the country to the polls.

The crowd gave a tumultuous welcome to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who is also Penang Chief Minister and host for this event.

In his welcoming speech, Guan Eng explained that Najib’s misinterpretation of Article 153 had divided the country.

He said, “Somehow Umno always fails to mention that Article 153 also states that the legitimate interests of other communities must also be protected.”

Earlier in the year, Lim Kit Siang had already locked horns with the Deputy Prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin over Article 153. The DPM had accused Lim of trying to drive a wedge between Najib and his deputy.

Lim had challenged Muhyiddin to resign as DPM if he was not prepared to set the lead for all UMNO and BN leaders and declare that in accordance with the 1Malaysia goal, he is Malaysian first and Malay second.

More significant is perhaps how Najib’s silence in two matters may also determine how well Pakatan makes inroads as the country heads towards the general election (GE-13).

PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar had earlier queried Najib’s remarks in which he cautioned Malaysians against voting for any party other than BN.

Mahfuz showed how Najib’s desperation to cling onto federal power was portrayed, “The PM said last Saturday that if BN cannot win, no one else can or should win. This is a dangerous remark here... what will happen [if] BN loses the next election?

Mahfuz asked, “Does this mean that there will be a coup d’état? A threat has been made by the PM, as part of preparations into the elections, it is as if Najib himself is not so confident of his party’s chances in winning.”

Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad had also believed Najib’s remarks were a veiled threat: “Najib needs to make a clear explanation, so that all of us can understand. We want a direct response, if he doesn’t give a response, it shows that he is not willing to let go of power.”

PAS MP, Kamaruddin Jaafar said, “his shows that the PM does not believe in the concept of elections. He is saying that he won’t let others win if BN loses. This is a slap to voters.”

It was the Deputy PM who responded by saying that such statements were another example where PAS would always look for opportunities to create lies to discredit the BN government.

He said, “This is malicious and prejudicial aimed at scaring the people.”

In a separate issue, Najib also failed to respond to queries about the Wikileaks disclosures in which a senior Singapore official linked Najib to the murder of Altantuya.

In both these matters – the coup and the murder - Najib has kept mum, thus increasing speculation that there was some truth related to both these topics, as alleged by the opposition.