The former minister claims the BN will lose in the next general election and will then resort to getting PH parliamentarians to defect in order to form the government.
KUALA LUMPUR: Former federal minister Zaid Ibrahim expects the Barisan Nasional to lose in the next general election. He also expects it to attempt a “Perak-style coup” to regain power.
In his latest blog, the former Umno member and current DAP member warns his Pakatan Harapan colleagues to be wary of the Barisan Nasional’s likely manipulations.
Starting by praising Prime Minister Najib Razak for pulling off a “coup” in getting an invitation from US President Donald Trump to visit the White House, he goes on to talk about a post-GE14 scenario.
He also pokes fun at the visit, before saying whatever the reasons for the invitation, Najib succeeded in being photographed and seen in Trump’s company.
“Najib can now go around the country, telling Malaysians that he has no problem with the US. The implication, therefore, is that he also has no problems with the US Justice Department, so let’s give credit to Najib for his well thought-out plan to get an invite from Donald.”
Unfortunately for Najib, Zaid says, it comes too late to save his political career.
He predicts the BN will get not more than 90 parliamentary seats in GE14 and that even if PAS were to lend support, the BN will still be short of the 112 seats it needs to govern.
“This is where the Pakatan Harapan and Parti Warisan Sabah will face their toughest battle. The real challenge is keeping their tiger generals in line. Can they keep 20 or so of their team members of parliament loyal to them?
“I have my doubts – I see a Perak-style coup taking place with… Najib (who, for all his faults, is an astute and skillful political operator) launching a dawn raid on the 20 or so members of parliament from Pakatan/Warisan, after which they will all swear allegiance to him. “
Zaid was referring to events in 2009 when three of the then Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition’s state legislators defected, causing a collapse of the state government. The PR menteri besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin requested the Sultan of Perak to dissolve the state legislative assembly and hold fresh elections but it did not happen. Instead, the BN, with the support of the three defecting assemblymen, formed the new state government.
“Unless Pakatan and Warisan have a plan to counter this eventuality, they will be making a huge mistake in dismissing such concerns as empty speculation.”
He hopes PH’s Oct 14 gathering will generate “enough confidence among any remaining fence-sitters that we can govern this country”.
It is necessary for PH, he says, to mobilise Malaysians from all over the country to travel to Kuala Lumpur and have “the biggest assembly of people in Kuala Lumpur since Merdeka Day”.
He adds that the mood to “take back ownership of our country must be so powerful and so compelling” that no amount of money offered to them will make a difference.
He describes it as a “battle royale to determine if cash is indeed king”. - FMT
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