Public Forum on viable alternative PM

The theme is a People’s National Congress to go through a list of names to replace Najib.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim will be taking to the public stage at 2 pm on 23 May at the Petaling Jaya Civic Centre “to talk about issues of national leadership”.

He will be joined by law professor Azmi Sharom, former Selangor Menteri Besar Muhammad Muhammad Taib, Affifuddin Omar and Raub MP Mohamad Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz.

“On my part I will be direct. I will tell the public that Najib Abdul Razak was no longer a credible Prime Minister,” said Zaid. “We have to choose a viable ‘alternative Prime Minister’ to rally support against Najib at the 2018 General Elections or earlier, if Najib calls for a snap election.”

He will propose Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as the alternative Prime Minister. Others, he conceded, may propose other candidates. There are a list of possibilities viz. former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir, Opposition Leader Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali.

Other names that people may probably propose, according to Zaid: Ahmad Awang, Mat Sabu, Husam Musa, Mujahid Yusof Rawa, Raub MP Ariff Sabri, and DAP leaders.

“We the people, together with the political parties, must decide who that PM-designate should be,” said Zaid. “A National Congress of the People must be convened before year-end for this purpose.”

To be successful, he cautioned, DAP, PKR, PAS (without Hadi, preferably), PRSM, NGOs and other influential groups representing Umno members must be represented at the People’s Congress. “They must all agree on this candidate for Prime Minister to challenge Najib,” said Zaid. “The only condition is that at the end of the Congress, we must agree and stand by the chosen candidate.”

It’s wishful thinking, he warned, that Umno will replace Najib with someone else. “I do not see from Muhyiddin’s face and demeanor that he was willing to take Najib on”.

Najib, said Zaid, was famous for his “You help me and I’ll help you” mantra during the Sibu by-election and his “Gua tolong lu kalau lu tolong gua” stance in Hulu Selangor. “He will use the same approach with Umno bigwigs to secure their support”.

The unthinkable has also happened, continued Zaid, where Umno under Najib teamed up with Abdul Hadi Awang of PAS to pass hudud, or Islamic criminal law. “With that, Malaysia has ceased to be a democracy.”

“Under Najib, Malaysia has ceased to be a moderate and tolerant country.”

Elsewhere, he added, there are no other words to describe Najib’s performance as Finance Minister except as “an absolute disaster”.

He lamented that Malaysia has become a Third-World country living on national assets that are fast depleting even as the national debt burden reached 54 per cent of the GDP, and household debt reached 86 per cent of the GDP or the second highest in Asia.

“Government-owned or Finance Ministry corporations such as 1MDB and Syarikat Pembinaan PFI have contracted debts to the tune of more than RM65 billion, and we do not know why those debts were incurred and for what purpose,” said Zaid.

Also, added Zaid, public monies in Tabung Haji, PNB, Tenaga Nasional, EPF and others are being put at risk as they will be asked to bail out these failed entities.

Malaysia under Najib has become more oppressive, continued Zaid. “The police will arrest you for the slightest protest or show of dissent.”

“Forums at universities are banned, as are books.”