Ku Li right, Pak Lah should make way
Malaysiakini.com
Mar 31, 2008
Hamdan Ibrahim

I refer to Malaysiakini report Umno polls in Dec, Ahmad backed as MB.

The embattle premier is under siege today. Nothing seems to work in his favour after BN was heavily mauled in the last general election. Two Umno members of parliament have declined deputy minister posts in the cabinet while another has resigned from his deputy minister post.

Two state rulers have practically snubbed Abdullah Ahamd Badawi by appointing chief ministers not of his choice and the premier has had to accede to the royal commands. That two obscure politicians replaced the present MB of Perils and Terengganu due to pressure from the palace is a big blow to the embattled premier’s leadership and a big blow to his pride.

With a lot of people in the party asking him to resign to take full responsibility for BN’s drubbing in the last polls, one wonders whether it will it be a matter of months or days before the premier capitulates and let others replace him. The clarion calls calling for the premier to step down seem to be getting louder and louder and he cannot turn a deaf ears to those vocal voices who want him out.

Anwar Ibrahim is sitting on the sidelines watching the dramas unfold in BN and if rumors are to be believed, there are a lot of BN MPs who are just waiting for the right time to jump ship when the coast is clear. With the additional MPs backing him, it will be a matter of time before the former deputy premier stakes his claim on the premiership of this country.

After being ruled by the same party for more than five decades, voters have unshackled BN’s hegemony on this country by electing more opposition members into Parliament and denying five states to the ruling party. The old ways of doing business by being rent-seekers and ‘commission agents’ will be a thing of the past if the opposition front makes full use of their positions in the state governments.

They must not indulge in unhealthy practices of the past where government contracts become the gravy trains for greedy politicians who sucked the state treasuries dry by dubious means.

Never has our premier faced such hurdles in his political life. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who has been out of the government for so long, has the credibility to turn the tide for BN and Umno if he is given the chance to replace the weak premier both in the party and government.

But time is not on his side as if he waits for December to fight Pak Lah for the president’s post at the party general assembly in December. It would be a sour victory for Ku Li as he might end up the opposition leader in Parliament if a lot of his party men jump ship before December thus giving Anwar a golden opportunity to become the sixth prime minister of this country.

Pak Lah has to do a lot of soul-searching if he does not want his party not to be consigned to history. He should make way for other capable leaders who can lead the party back to its former glory. After all, the voters had given a chance to the embattled premier to rectify what was wrong in this country and after receiving a big mandate in the 2004 polls. He has failed the nation due to his weak and inept leadership.

Our country is on the threshold of being a better nation than before if we have good politicians who are not on the take. The recent polls had shown the old and tired faces in the cabinet the door. PKR-DAP-PAS leaders who are elected to head the states and who are in parliament should be govern our country with full transparency and accountability if they want to retain their seats in the next general elections.

Malaysians woke to a new dawn on March 8 by making their voice heard and by being masters of their own destiny. They almost booted out the corrupt incumbents from office. For that, I salute the brave and silent Malaysians who refused to listen to government propaganda and threats but voted with their hearts to make a major change in our political landscape.

Hopefully those who replaced the corrupt incumbents in the august house will revive the economy as all people regardless of creed and colour have practically suffered in silence due to rising inflation and endemic corruption. Enough of the slogans - deliver what you promised.

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