Pakatan lauds Sapp's bravery
Malaysiakini.com
Jun 18, 2008
Soon Li Tsin & Athi Veerangan

Pakatan Rakyat leaders hailed Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) as "brave" after the Barisan Nasional component party's historical announcement today.
MCPX

In an unprecedented move, Sapp revealed that it will move a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when Parliament resumes on Monday.

It is the first time in the history of the nation that a vote of no-confidence is to be moved against a prime minister.

Here are some comments from opposition leaders when contacted by Malaysiakini for immediate reactions to this:

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim

anwar ibrahim 02 060207Congratulations and salutations for the firm bravery of Sapp and its two MPs for defending the rights of Malaysians, and especially those of Sabahans.

I have had two discussions previously with Sapp president Yong Teck Lee. The core issues at hand are those of good governance and dedication to the principles of accountability.

PKR's commitment to Sabahans, bumiputera and otherwise, include 20 percent oil royalties to Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu, as well as proportionate and just representation for Sabah and Sarawak.

I am happy with these early actions and call upon other friends to act quickly in order to guarantee stable politics and efficient economic management that will lead to dynamic growth and equitable distribution.

DAP secretary-general and Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng

lim guan engHow could one maintain their loyalty to BN while at the same time move a motion of no confidence against the coalition's top leader? It's confusing and unusual.

You cannot possibly bulldoze a motion of no confidence in Parliament without submitting a notice. Even then it must be allowed by the House speaker.

(He also called on Sapp to immediately withdraw from BN if the party was serious about the motion of no-confidence.)

Selangor menteri besar and Bandar Tun Razak MP Khalid Ibrahim

khalid ibrahimIt is a good news to me and I support the motion of no-confidence against Abdullah. As part of Pakatan Rakyat, of course we welcome the participation of a new member into the group. But we will work together towards establishing a more people-oriented Malaysia.

Since I cannot reveal any more or comment on this any further, the message will be passed to the public among other things during the festivities of our 100 days celebration.

Parti Sosialis Malaysia chairperson Dr Nasir Hashim

mohd nasir hashimThis move by Sapp shows that Abdullah is losing ground. Even his announcement that there will be a succession plan to his deputy Najib Abdul Razak is not good for the party and it makes people lose confidence in him.

I am not surprised with Sapp's decision. I think they are brave to be doing this. It's also a reflection on the internal squabbling going on in Umno where members are politically taking sides.

As far as I can see, Umno as the main component party has overstretched itself within BN. Other component parties can take the cue from Sapp and the whole coalition can disintegrate. Together with the psychological pressure from Anwar on crossovers, this can turn into something very serious.

This no-confidence vote can have repercussions including the possibility of a snap election. Whatever happens, it will remain an uphill task for BN to win back the confidence of the people. Previously when the opposition gained ground, BN came back but after this political tsunami, it is not as easy.

There is also a possibility that other component parties have agreed to this vote of no-confidence and Sapp being a small party are testing the waters to see what will happen. If the circumstances are favourable, then other component parties will jump right in.

PAS information chief and Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar

mahfuz omar 01We welcome Sapp's decision. We laud this BN component party's bravery in moving a no-confidence motion against Abdullah on Monday. This is truly a record-breaking feat in the history of Malaysian politics.

This will also be a challenge for other BN component parties especially Umno. We don't know whether they will be as brave as Sapp but we hope they too will show their courage on Monday.

However, I'm not sure what Sapp's agenda is. Is their dissatisfaction targeted at Abdullah or is it at BN? I am not sure if they want the person himself to change his ways or do they want to change the government leader and undergo a renewal process. If they just want to replace Abdullah with Najib then it does not solve the problem.

I am still waiting to know their reasons but in any case, PAS will make its stand in accordance to what Pakatan leaders say.

DAP leader and Ipoh Timor MP Lim Kit Siang

lim kit siang 030606I see little possibility of Sapp's no-confidence motion against Abdullah as PM being tabled and debated on Monday unless there is a second political tsunami in the next few days, with waves of support from other BN parliamentarians from Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsula Malaysia making it a credible parliamentary move.

Whether the Sapp no-confidence motion is tabled and debated in Parliament on Monday, its very announcement has set off political waves in the country confirming the longstanding, widespread and deep-seated discontent of the people of Sabah at their unfair treatment by Umno leaders, whether at Federal or State level.

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