NO, MY DAD NOT AFTER THE PM'S POST: Nurul denies Anwar the obstacle to 'unity govt' plan

KUALA LUMPUR - PKR vice president Nurul Izzah denied talk that it was Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's insistence on getting the prime minister's post that had prevented a unity government proposal from Prime Minister Razak from going through.

"Datuk Seri Anwar is where he is best at - affecting change. Not necessary as prime minister," Nurul, who is Anwar's eldest daughter, told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Perhaps, he (Najib) is having problems sharing out the portfolios (which would be entailed if the Cabinet is extended to include members from the Opposition)?"

Unprecedented heat

For weeks now, speculation has been building that Najib had made an offer to Anwar through intermediaries.

The rumors reached a crescendo following the release of a book on former prime minister Abdullah Badawi, where he made unusually direct and critical comments about another former premier Mahathir Mohamad.

So heated was the response from the Mahathir camp in their Umno party that Badawi had to issue a statement to deny he was sympathetic to the Opposition and had no prior knowledge that Nurul had been invited to launch the book Awakening: The Abdullah Badawi Years in Singapore.

Nurul, who is also the Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai, was grilled by media as to whether the invitation to officiate the Singapore launch was an attempt to 'bridge ties', which she denied.

"No, at the end of the day it is a collection of stories, commentaries on Pak Lah, not his autobiography. I think that has to be made clear and when I was asked... well, we are talking about new politics where each and every administration, its strengths and flaws should be evaluated properly so that we can build on its strengths and we can avoid future mistakes. I am sad that it has taken such a turn but as I have said , go buy the book," Nurul told the media earlier this week.

 

Doubtful of Najib's sincerity

Anwar has not made any direct response to the speculation that he was offered the post of deputy prime minister and 4 slots in the Cabinet for top aides in his PKR party.

However, Anwar has confirmed to Asia Sentinel that Najib had approached him through former Indonesia vice president Jusuf Kalla for the latest proposal.

Jusuf, who frequently acts as a peacemaker and troubleshooter for the governments in Southeast Asia, had previously sought to strike a pre-electoral pact for a smooth and peaceful power transition should Anwar's Pakatan Rakyat have won the May 5 general election.

Anwar's aide Tian Chua and Saifuddin Nasution have since confirmed that Anwar had rejected Najib's offer as it did not include PAS and PKR, the other two parties in the tripartite Pakatan Rakyat.

It is clear Anwar doubts Najib's sincerity. He suspects the prime minister is trying to make use of him to gain the upper hand in a tussle against the Mahathir faction for the Umno presidency.

The party's central leadership is up for grabs at an election that was slated for October 5. But so intense is the infighting that Najib has had to postpone the Umno election by 2 weeks to October 19 and nominations - which are crucial - by 3 weeks to September 28.

"The postponement of the Umno election election is due to the internal problems in Umno. It is now in turmoil and the situation is heating up they are trying to delay not the infighting but rather the implosion," Anwar told Malaysia Chronicle.

 

Panic in the Najib camp

It is clear the situation in Umno is getting out of hand and Najib's ill-advised tactic of trying to threaten Mahathir with the  prospect of striking a deal with Anwar is only making the latter more angry than worried.

Signs of Najib taking fright and backpedaling can be seen in the way his people have been panicking, shooting off ever wilder rumors while putting the blame on Home Minister Zahid Hamidi for trying to broker the agreement together with Jusuf Kalla, which they insist was done without Najib's knowledge.

It is plain to see Zahid is feeling the heat and trying to show his loyalty to the faction of Umno hardliners led by Mahathir by trying to 'out-hawk' them. In what appears to be a bid to soothe ruffled feathers, Zahid has been making outrageous statements about reviving draconian laws that were repealed by Najib, such as the Emergency Ordinance and Internal Security Act.

Another minister close to Najib, Nazri Aziz is the latest to try and play down the fiasco. On Thursday, Nazri said there was no need for any unity government, as to form one would be disrespectful to the mandate given by voters during the recent general election.

"Can't we Malaysians work together without calling for a unity government? I can work with them well," said Nazri, who is now the Tourism Minister.

He was immediately slammed by Pakatan leaders who pointed out that while the Umno-BN coalition won 133 of the 222 seats in Parliament, it was Pakatan that won 51% of all votes cast. The discrepancy is due to massive gerrymandering put in place by the Umno-BN especially during Mahathir's administration which lasted from 1981 to 2003.

"I think it is the prime minister's right to decide," said Nurul. "How can the current regime 'work' with PR leaders when they are busy prosecuting us in court?".

Malaysia Chronicle