ANWAR, the Pakatan's trump card to stave off extremist Umno groups - Rafizi

KUALA LUMPUR - PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli said only Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had enough presence and experience to stave off the hate-tainted brand of politicking promulgated by certain factions in Umno to wrest control of Selangor state.

"This is one of the possibilities which we cannot rule out based on the escalating race and religious tension in Selangor," Rafizi told a press conference on Tuesday.

Rafizi, who is also the MP for Pandan, pointed out that the ruling Umno-BN coalition had used similar tricks to wrest control of the Kelantan state government in 1977. A state of emergency had been declared ostensibly to cool down tensions but which also led to the PAS-led government being dethroned.

Indeed, Selangor - the country's richest state - is much sought after by Prime Minister Najib Razak's Umno-BN coalition. Despite concerted efforts, Najib and team had failed to recapture Selangor and instead conceded two-thirds control of the state assembly to Anwar's Pakatan Rakyat coalition during the May 5, 2013 general elections.

Najib's own troubles

Najib's poor performance in Selangor had opened the floodgates to criticism from factions wishful of toppling him as the Umno president, prompting speculation that party bigwigs such as former premier Mahathir Mohamad and former finance minister Daim Zainuddin were on the verge of staging a coup ala the May 13, 1969 racial riots to force his resignation.

Najib has since responded with what many see as a tactical moveto strengthen his bargaining power in Umno. He has agreed to begin 'unity talks' with the Opposition so as to heal the widening rifts in Malaysia's multiracial society exacerbated by the near daily posturing and politicking by extremist fringe race-championing outfits such as Perkasa and Isma which have been accused of being linked to the Mahathir faction in Umno.

Many familiar with the 'unity talks' deal believe Anwar's controversial move to contest the Kajang state seat is part of the negotiations, implying that he was ready to sacrifice any ambitions to a spot in the federal government. If Anwar wins Kajang, as he is widely expected to, he is likely to be appointed chief minister or Mentri Besar to replace the faded and bungling Khalid Ibrahim.

Unity talks between Najib's regime and the Pakatan parties of PKR, DAP and PAS, if successful, will provide Najib with sufficient support to go his own way and not be tied to Mahathir's political apron-strings.

The Pakatan hold 89 of the federal Parliament's 222 seats.

Political leadership

Anwar himself acknowledges Selangor does need a leader with stronger 'political clout' than Khalid has been able to display since becoming chief minister in 2008.

While the 66-year-old Anwar is still hesitant to confirm he will take over from Khalid, his comments revealed in an interview with news portal Malaysiakini already confirm the prospect.

“It is sad how... he (Khalid) has to leave. It is sad. The circumstances and the dictate of the time requires that Selangor be driven,” Anwar said, clenching his fist at the end to prove this point.

“I cannot accept Selangor being held every time to ransom. Every other week you have this problem, this attack. We seem to be quite helpless, either they (the BN) use state apparatus or some NGO and not much can be done ... we will not allow this to happen. This requires political leadership.”- Malaysia Chronicle