Umno handover pact 'does nothing for stability'
Malaysiakini.com
Jun 16, 2008
Athi Veeranggan

The succession plan contrived by the premier and his deputy has caused more political confusion, than resolving it.
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dap memo on patrol vessels mindef 120907 lim guan engPenang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng noted that political instability has been aggravated by the ambiguous announcement that is “shrouded in secrecy”.

He said the transition plan will incite speculation and lead to power play in many quarters.

"A succession plan should be transparent. The people have the right to know all about it," he told reporters over the weekend.

He queried why Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Abdul Razak did not discuss the matter in the cabinet, and why details have not been provided to the public.

A mere announcement, argued Lim, is not enough to boost public confidence.

"People need to know the date and how the succession will take place. People want to know whether or not it will happen," he said, noting that Abdullah should have been more direct, open and sincere about the plan.

najib abdullah 100408Abdullah, who has faced calls to step down after Barisan Nasional’s worst results in election history, had announced on Friday that he had agreed to hand over power to Najib.

No timeframe was set and discussion of the transition will take place only after the Umno polls in December. Abdullah has since said that he intends to defend the presidency.

Political observers have alleged that the announcement appears to be a way of subduing anger within Umno and its disillusioned BN partners, while safeguarding Abdullah's position.

‘Defections will proceed’

However, the scenario could change dramatically if Pakatan Rakyat makes good its claim that it can form the federal government after Sept 16. The opposition front has 82 parliamentarians to BN's 140.

DAP national vice-chairperson Zulkifli Mohd Noor said the transition plan would be negated if Pakatan wrests control of the federal government.

"Maybe we should resolve Umno's dilemma by usurping power at the centre," he said.

petrol price hike protest kg baru sogo 130608 july 5 gesturesHe brushed aside suggestions that Abdullah’s announcement would stop defections, saying that sentiments against the BN were so strong that “nothing could change this now”.

"Rising costs and dissatisfaction among coalition partners are among the main reasons for the mayhem," he said.

The general election on March 8 saw BN lose a third of the parliamentary seats and five states to a resurgent opposition, which now has ambitions of seizing power with the help of defecting government lawmakers.

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