Najib denies offering 'unity government' to Anwar: It is "imagination" & "naughty"

UPDATE3 KUALA LUMPUR - Prime Minister Najib Razak described as "imagination" and "naughty" the recent news reports that he had used intermediaries to propose forming a 'unity government' with Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

"The report that quoted Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar as confirming there was an effort by Datuk Seri Mohd Najib to form a unity government is a political statement that is meant to be naughty," Najib said in a statement issued by his office.

"The efforts by former Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla before the 13th General Election to obtain Datuk Seri Mohd Najib's and Datuk Seri Anwar's agreement to avoid personal attacks and accept the results is the only political agreement that exists."

Najib also revealed that according to Jusuf, Anwar had contacted him before the general election to obtain an agreement to respect the people's decision, which he agreed to.

"However, Anwar refused to do so as he alleged that there was foul play in the election process. Therefore, Anwar's statement of an effort to form a unity government is just a "creation and invention" for the interest of the opposition pact, especially for its leader," added Najib.

Telling caveat

Najib also reiterated there could not be any discussion for a unity government unless Anwar and the rest of his Pakatan Rakyat coalition accepted the results of the controversial and fraud-tainted May 5 general elections.

The Opposition has already rubbished this demand as "sheer posturing" and "unreasonable".

There are many views and opinions as to how real is the prospect of a unity government, whether all the talk and speculation was stirred up to help Najib drive up his 'bargaining power' in Umno ahead of the party's election in October, or was it a complex ploy to split up the Pakatan Rakyat.

For PKR, the Pakatan party at the centre of the maelstrom, Najib's denial was to be expected.

"We can only repeat what we have been saying. The offer was made and it was for Anwar to become deputy prime minister and bring in 4 leaders from PKR into the Cabinet. That is not a unity government to us. That is like asking PKR to join BN," Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

"For us, it is business as usual. We have already turned down the offer and we don't expect it to go any further. It will end here."

For Anwar and PKR, it may be so. But for Najib, Umno insiders say it is just the beginning!

Umno leaders and grassroots have been unsettled by the unity government news. Many who have hoped for Anwar to return to the fold cannot believe it can really come true. Some suspect Najib of trying to harm their party by consorting with the 'enemy'.

Those close to Najib expect him to make full use of the episode to show off to Umno how he had tried to bring Anwar back to their party.

In Najib's first term as Umno president, he had succeeded in getting Mahathir Mohamad to re-join Umno. Najib had hoped that by hooking Anwar, it would help him to win a second term as the Umno president.

Even though Najib didn't succeed with Anwar, his people believe the Umno grassroots will forgive him and appreciate his 'initiative'.

Nonetheless, there are others who take the view that Najib has bungled and expect his rivals to exploit his failure as proof of his political naivete and inability to bring to fruition any effort.

"That was Najib's game and this is why Anwar was suspicious. To make an offer to just PKR alone while leaving out DAP and PAS tells you everything. It is like extending an invitation you know won't be accepted. So yes, it cuts both ways. His enemies will say he is not smart and is insincere to make an offer he knows is bound to fail," an Umno watcher told Malaysia Chronicle.

The Umno watcher also explained that apart PKR, the Najib camp was ready to deal with DAP. However, the stumbling block was PAS.

"This is the hypocrisy. Umno tries to be holier than thou but they aren't really keen to bring in an Islamist into the equation. There are already too many Malays in Umno as it is fighting for too few positions. But I don't think PKR and DAP can abandon PAS. They are stuck too. It is stalemate all round. If you want change, then the only way is through the ballot box and electing a new government, not through a unity government. It is just too complex and Umno is just too old-fashioned to be able to handle it," he said.

Malaysia Chronicle