UPDATED At the much-watched PKR national congress, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali fired the first salvo at arch rival Umno, warning them not to resort to "filthy sabotage" to jail Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and derail the Pakatan Rakyat's goal of wresting the federal government at the coming general election, widely expected to be held in January.
“This is a strong warning to Umno. Whatever conspiracies they may cook up to imprison Anwar Ibrahim, the PKR Youth and Women divisions will rise to break through the cruel walls of prison to free him," Azmin said when opening the Youth and Women's meetings on Friday.
Azmin also reiterated what Pakatan leaders including DAP secretary--general Lim Guan Eng has recently said. Anwar would be Prime Minister if the Pakatan wins, whether or not BN throws him in jail.
Guan Eng had made the comment in response to political egging from the BN hoping to drive a wedge amongst the 3 Pakatan parties. Both Guan Eng and Azmin were also stating the stand agreed on by the Pakatan top leadership, and sending a message to Prime Minister Najib Razak that his "dirty tricks" would not stop the Pakatan from its stated goal of delivering the Malaysian people from the current corrupt and oppressive BN regime.
“Pakatan Rakyat is resolved to make Anwar Ibrahim the seventh prime minister,” Azmin said to loud cheers that reverberated around the packed hall.
24 ceramahs, a panicked Mentri Besar and a conniving MCA
On Saturday, a host of other top Pakatan leaders will join PKR president Wan Azizah at the main summit in Pulai Springs, Johor. They include DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Karpal Singh, PAS president Hadi Awang and Nik Aziz Nik Mat.
Both Azizah and Anwar, the de-facto head of PKR, are expected to zoom in on GE-13 and how the party must get itself ready and going in the race against Umno-BN. A total of 24 ceramahs or political lectures have been planned across the state, and Johoreans are expected to flock to there to meet their political heroes.
So worried is the BN that Umno Mentri Besar Ghani Othman was reported to have asked advisers to brainstorm for ways and means to derail the Pakatan's ceramahs for fear the momentum would swell against his lacklustre administration, which has often been accused of widespread corruption.
MCA president Chua Soi Lek and his son Labis MP Tee Yong have also been accused of plotting to derail the ceramahs. Johor is the political bastion of the MCA and pundits have predicted the party was likely to get wiped out in GE-13.
Respect the people's wishes for a 2-party system
Azmin also flayed the BN for refusing to respect the people's wishes for a two-party political system. All of the Najib administration's efforts have gone into hatching conspiracies to destablise the Pakatan, rather than to invigorate the economy or to to introduce long-term structural reforms, said Azmin. This was why Malaysia today was in a state of decline, he added.
He also took a potshot at former PKR FT chief Zaid Ibrahim, a former Umno Law Minister, who was accused of trying to sabotage PKR during its historic one-member one-vote internal polls last year.The effort failed but at that time, it had rocked PKR nearly to the core. But the party has shown resilience rebounding much more strongly than anyone had expected.
“The rakyat must reject those who collude with the enemies of democracy. They are nothing more than political eunuchs,” said Azmin.
Zaid is now the head of his own KITA party and recently lavish respect on the Umno president and deputy presidency by declaring his party would not be contesting their Pekan and Pagoh seats.
Umno betrayed the Malays, look at NFC and how they wasted the people's money
Azmin also thrashed Umno for having betrayed the Malays. He pointed to the RM250 million NFC financial debacle, whereby Umno ministers were alleged to have carelessly and negligently handled the project aimed to develop a beef industry to supply cheaply-priced meat to the masses.
“To the younger generation, Umno is known as an old party which is anti-democracy, anti-intellectual, anti-human rights, anti-worker, laden with the politics of slander and supports corruption. Umno prolongs the enslavement of souls through its neo-feudalism and fails to nurture independent souls,” said Azmin.
Don't be afraid, go for excellence not mediocrity
He urged Malaysians, especially the Youth to reject Umno and BN, for pursuing mediocrity rather than excellence and fostering a culture of dependency and fear of all that was modern and progressive.
“To ensure their hegemony, young voices must be buried and their minds shackled. Those who dare to think are enemies of Umno. As the Malay saying goes, a cow is held by the rope, a man is held by his word. Maybe now we have to hang on to a cow,” he said in an apparent dig at the shocking news that the NFC had splurged millions on two super-luxury condos rather than on building satellite farms or enhancing the project itself.
Azmin, a youthful looking 47-year-old Mathematics and Economics graduate from a US university, also pledged to increase the number of Youth candidates in the general election.
He warned students not to trust the word of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who a day ago had promised to allow students above 21 to take part in the country's politics. Yet in the next breath, Najib insisted on continuing an appeal against a Court verdict that ruled the government ban on students in politics was unconstitutional.
“I have received the nominations for candidates from the state leadership councils - both Youth and Women. I am happy that the young have been trusted as candidates. I will bring this issue up to the president and political bureau, to allow the young and women members to play an important roll in the 13th general election," said Azmin.
Malaysia Chronicle
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