Malaysia veteran journalist Datuk A Kadir Jasin says demonstrations are not likely bring down Prime Minister Datuk Anwar Ibrahim.
The Scribe, in his latest social media posting wrote about “Another Midway Change Poser”
1. As I’ve said in one of the earlier postings, demonstrations are not likely to bring down the Madani Government and the Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim.
2. Let me now strengthen that argument by reminding readers of the decades-long reformasi protests and sloganeerings.
3. They did not bring down the reformasi’s most hated enemies, Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the Barisan Nasional (BN).
4. Instead, it was Dr Mahathir who, in the 2018 General Election, led the Pakatan Harapan (PH) to defeat the BN.
5. When it was his turn to lead the PH in the 2022 GE, Anwar failed to achieve victory. He only managed to claw his way to Putrajaya via a backdoor marriage with the BN with the courtesy of his old Umno protégé, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
6. For now, the only way for the various Anti-Anwar groups to bring success to their “Turun Anwar” campaign is to deprive him of the support of the Dewan Rakyat.
7. Only through a vote of no confidence in the House could they hope to remove him. The practice of signing statutory declarations may not anymore find traction or be recognised.
8. Theoretically, a Prime Minister can be removed through either a formal vote of no confidence or by losing a vote on a crucial government bill. A vote of no confidence explicitly tests the government’s support in Parliament. Losing a key bill can also be a de facto vote of no confidence.
9. Faling which the Opposition have to wait for the General Election to be held. That would be another three years should Anwar decide to stretch parliamentary term to February 2028.
10. Assuming that, as a result of the recent implosion of the PKR and the consolidation of the Opposition, Anwar is done away with, who would lead the country?
11. In the opposition camp, the jury is still out on whether it would be Muhyiddin Md Yassin once more or the Leader of the Opposition, Hamzah Zainuddin.
12. It is rumoured that PAS, being the senior member of Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, is in favour of Hamzah. Bersatu is split between Muhyiddin and Hamzah.
13. But there are those who think that PAS, being the biggest member of the PN and with the most number of seats in the Parliament, should vie for the top job. They pointed to such personalities as Takiyuddin Hassan, a lawyer, and Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, an aerospace scientist.
14. Takiyuddin, 63, is the party’s Secretary General and Member of Parliament for Kota Baru. He is a graduate of the University of Malaya and had served as the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources in the Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Cabinet.
15. Ahmad Samsuri, 54, is the Menteri Besar of Terengganu and also Member of Parliament for Kemaman. He graduated with Mechanical and Materials Engineering Degree from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 1993, Masters of Science in Combustion and Energy from University of Leeds in 1996 and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Aeroengine Ignition and Combustion, High Altitude Engine Failure, also from the University of Leeds.
16. Thankfully, we have a relatively reliable public service and well respected judiciary that have proven their adaptability in coping with the frequent changes of government since 2018.
17. Law and order, economic management and the general welfare of the people remain stable. So another midway change of the government, should it happen, isn’t going to be an apocalypse. – A Kadir Jasin