Speculation has been rife that a new state government may be formed in BN-led Malacca following alleged manouvers by assemblyperson who are currently on the government bench.
This has prompted a discussion between Pakatan Harapan state assemblypersons and the Harapan central leadership last night.
The meeting was attended by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, veteran leader Lim Kit Siang and organising secretary Anthony Loke, Sin Chew Daily reported today.
When contacted, Loke confirmed the discussion was held at Anwar's office in Petaling Jaya.
"The meeting was held to discuss opinions on the recent development in Malacca. No decision was made," he said.
However, Loke denied receiving an invitation for Harapan to form a new government with the current ruling parties.
"It is not right to say they offered an olive branch," he said.
Loke declined to divulge further details, particularly on matters related to the possibility that both sides may cooperate on state issues.
A total of 11 state assemblypersons were invited to the meeting yesterday to discuss possible political cooperation.
In the meeting, four DAP lawmakers disagreed with the prospect of forming an alliance with the ruling parties, citing a lack of political ethics and integrity. They opined that such cooperation would not be widely accepted.
Invitation to Harapan
Citing sources, Sin Chew elaborated that assemblypersons from Umno, together with Bersatu and an independent state assemblyperson, invited Harapan to work together, possibly leading to a change of government.
Former Malacca chief minister and Umno's Sungai Udang assemblyperson Idris Haron was said to have initiated the cooperation with the opposition.
Others included Umno's Pantai Kundor assemblyperson Nor Azman Hassan, Bersatu's Telok Mas assemblyperson Noor Effendi Ahmad and the independent assemblyperson Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Pengkalan Batu).
Idris was quoted as denying that the ruling parties would cooperate with the opposition.
Machap Jaya assemblyperson Ginnie Lim, when contacted, denied any possibility of a change in government.
“No such thing, we should focus on fighting the pandemic under the current situation, helping each other, and putting our differences aside to save the economy and people.
“Do not disappoint the people,” she told Malaysiakini.
However, another Harapan leader in the state did not entirely dismiss the possibility.
“There may be some inklings, a scent of it,” the leader said on condition of anonymity.
The source, however, denied speculation that one of the would-be Umno defectors had met with Harapan in Petaling Jaya as reported by The Star.
The leader said that if a change of government does happen, this should not shake things up at the federal level, where Harapan has a memorandum of understanding with the Umno-led government.
“Jangan kerana marah nyamuk, kelambu dibakar (don’t overreact),” the source said.
Malaysiakini has also reached out to other state assemblypersons for their comments.
Last week, Malacca Chief Minister Sulaiman Md Ali said the state government offered a new deal, comprising five propositions, to the state’s opposition to achieve political stability, curb the Covid-19 pandemic and revive the economy. - Mkini
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