BORNEO POST.
By Churchill Edward, Jacob Achoi, Samuel Aubrey, Yu Ji and Raynore Mering
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=41478
KUCHING: State Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders are confident that before this day is over, all of Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) huffing and puffing about taking over the government will be proven to be nothing but hot air.
Dato Sri Dr James Masing
Sure PR’s leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said that the takeover has to be postponed but the coalition leaders are of the view that he has nothing to show for it. Yesterday leaders of the state BN maintained that it would not be raining “frogs” today and that no BN MPs would cross over to PR to allow the opposition alliance to form a new government. “Come Sept 16, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will still be the prime minister and Anwar Ibrahim still the leader of Pakatan Rakyat,” said Parti Rakyat Sarawak president Dato Sri Dr James Masing when contacted yesterday.
He emphasised: “Sarawak will still be known as ‘Bumi Kenyalang’ (Land of the Hornbills), not ‘Bumi Katak’ (Land of the Frogs).” When told that Anwar had said the takeover would still happen but that it would have to wait a while, Masing replied: “It will be a long while…”
Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan
Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan does not believe that a change in the federal government will happen today.He, however, believes that changes should take place instead within the BN government for it to remain solid, strong and popular. “Nothing will happen on Sept 16 (today). Some of them (in the opposition) will give excuses on why it didn’t happen. My MPs are okay in BN and won’t crossover, and the other Sarawak MPs should be okay too,” he said to reporters here.
He also pointed out that any change in government should be through the democratic process.
“Democracy is democracy. (In Malaysia) we practise democracy in a proper way,” he said.
On the other hand, he said changes should take place within the BN, especially its backbone Umno and other component members. He said he had often told his men in SUPP to move along with the times by making the appropriate changes in their style and approach if they wanted to continue maintaining popular support from the people.
“Change (should take place) in Umno…and changes too in other BN parties. “If we don’t change, then don’t blame people if they change you (in the election),” he said. “Any government that doesn’t believe that it needs to change, then it will be hard for such a government. As time changes, people will change and a lot of things change too. If you don’t believe in change, you will be in trouble. “I always tell my SUPP boys if you don’t change, people will change you. So it is important as changes must be there. “People want change; everyone wants change for the better. As politicians, we must move with the times and change with the times,” he said.
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=41478
KUCHING: State Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders are confident that before this day is over, all of Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) huffing and puffing about taking over the government will be proven to be nothing but hot air.
Dato Sri Dr James Masing
Sure PR’s leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said that the takeover has to be postponed but the coalition leaders are of the view that he has nothing to show for it. Yesterday leaders of the state BN maintained that it would not be raining “frogs” today and that no BN MPs would cross over to PR to allow the opposition alliance to form a new government. “Come Sept 16, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will still be the prime minister and Anwar Ibrahim still the leader of Pakatan Rakyat,” said Parti Rakyat Sarawak president Dato Sri Dr James Masing when contacted yesterday.
He emphasised: “Sarawak will still be known as ‘Bumi Kenyalang’ (Land of the Hornbills), not ‘Bumi Katak’ (Land of the Frogs).” When told that Anwar had said the takeover would still happen but that it would have to wait a while, Masing replied: “It will be a long while…”
Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan
Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan does not believe that a change in the federal government will happen today.He, however, believes that changes should take place instead within the BN government for it to remain solid, strong and popular. “Nothing will happen on Sept 16 (today). Some of them (in the opposition) will give excuses on why it didn’t happen. My MPs are okay in BN and won’t crossover, and the other Sarawak MPs should be okay too,” he said to reporters here.
He also pointed out that any change in government should be through the democratic process.
“Democracy is democracy. (In Malaysia) we practise democracy in a proper way,” he said.
On the other hand, he said changes should take place within the BN, especially its backbone Umno and other component members. He said he had often told his men in SUPP to move along with the times by making the appropriate changes in their style and approach if they wanted to continue maintaining popular support from the people.
“Change (should take place) in Umno…and changes too in other BN parties. “If we don’t change, then don’t blame people if they change you (in the election),” he said. “Any government that doesn’t believe that it needs to change, then it will be hard for such a government. As time changes, people will change and a lot of things change too. If you don’t believe in change, you will be in trouble. “I always tell my SUPP boys if you don’t change, people will change you. So it is important as changes must be there. “People want change; everyone wants change for the better. As politicians, we must move with the times and change with the times,” he said.
YB. Datuk Peter Nyarok Entrie
Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) deputy president Datuk Peter Nyarok Entrie said all party members would continue to support the present government. “We support Pak Lah as prime minister and Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud as chief minister,” Nyarok said over a telephone interview. “As far as my party and Sarawak MPs are concerned, nobody is going to cross over. “The opposition is just trying to confuse the people…I don’t understand why they have to do that…like why do they have to celebrate Sept 16 in Selangor?” He said that all four SPDP MPs remained in contact with party leadership and have collectively dismissed any crossover rumour.
On renewed talks of a parliamentary vote of no-confidence against the current prime minister, Nyarok reiterated that “all MPs from Sarawak” would not support the motion. “I also just rang my friends up in Sabah last night, there is no support for the opposition at all. We continue to support the present government. “I’ve made such kind of statements a few times already — Do not believe the opposition.”
PR’s dreams of coaxing state BN MPs to join them will not materialise as far as Speaker of Dewan Undangan Negeri Dato Sri Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar is concerned. Asfia, who is Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) permanent chairman, said yesterday that no BN MPs from the state would switch camp, but would stay with the government coalition.
“No MPs..insyaallah…will cross over to PR tomorrow (today). Tomorrow (today) will be a normal day and nothing spectacular (BN MPs crossing to PR) will happen,” Asfia said. Asfia pointed out that despite the opposition’s assertion that politicians would be crossing over, it was the reverse in Sarawak.
“In Sarawak, the opposite is true…two assemblymen (Engkilili assemblyman Dr Johnical Rayong and Ngemah assemblyman Gabriel Adit Demong) have declared their intention to join us (BN) in the previous Dewan sittings.” Asked if the two had made official application to join BN, Asfia replied: “When they made their intention in the Dewan sitting, it is more than official.” Asked which party the duo wished to join, he said both Gabriel and Dr Rayong had to consult the voters as that had always been the BN policy.
Anwar, who is also the de facto leader of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), has been claiming for months that the opposition alliance would take over the government on Sept 16. They would achieve this by convincing at least 31 BN MPs to cross over into their fold. At present, 140 out of 222 parliamentarians are from the ruling coalition. Sarawak has 30 MPs. BN leaders had slammed the attempt at seizing the government as immoral and undemocratic.
Recently, Sarawak BN chairman Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud admitted that he was very disturbed by such tactics. “Essentially, how I look upon it is I am very distressed to see that in the first year, just after the election, people are thinking of subverting the verdict of the people. To me, this is undermining democracy,” he said.
Although the claims now seem to be losing steam after it had to be delayed, PKR Sarawak liaison chief Dominique Ng yesterday affirmed that “the spirit of 916 (Sept 16)” was still on track. “I am convinced that the spirit of 916 on the formation of government by Pakatan Rakyat (PR), is still on track. But the massive crossover may be delayed,” he said, implying that the massive crossover bandied about by strong PR supporters will not happen today. “I think we all know why,” he said without elaborating.
Ng said PKR will be holding a ‘National Day’ celebration at Padang Merdeka at 9am today. Kuching police chief, ACP Wong Wai Loong, confirmed that a permit has been issued for the assembly but pointed out that no parade was permitted.
No comments:
Post a Comment