PETALING JAYA, Feb 9 – DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng today reaffirmed support for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as Parliamentary Opposition Leader and, by extension, as Pakatan Rakyat chief, and urged his chairman Karpal Singh to use internal channels to change policies or criticise the party leadership. “DAP supports PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the Parliamentary Opposition Leader and will remain so as no single leader has ever questioned this during internal meetings whether at the highest levels or otherwise,” Lim said in a statement issued here.
He was responding to Karpal’s statement yesterday demanding Anwar quit as the Pakatan Rakyat leader for his culpability in the Perak fiasco where the Pakatan Rakyat was asked to resign in favour of Barisan Nasional after three lawmakers defected last week.
“I appeal to saudara Karpal Singh as chair of the DAP to use internal party channels should he wish to change these policies or even criticise my leadership,” said Lim, who is also Penang chief minister.
DAP joined PKR and Pas in the Pakatan Rakyat electoral pact that won an unprecendented 81 parliamentary seats and four more states in the March 2008 general elections. The pact has since added Kuala Terengganu to the parliamentary opposition bench while BN lost two seats in the 222-seat parliament when the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) quit the ruling coalition last year. There is one independent MP.
Lim said his party’s “commitment to a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural Malaysia is not only an article of faith but a deep conviction in Bangsa Malaysia”.
“DAP is inclusive of all races and religions. We represent the interests and fight for the rights every Malaysian,” he said, adding the party is willing to undertake a transformational process that may be painful but necessary in the pursuit of those efforts.
“We have no alternative but to grow without compromising our basic principles.
The Bagan MP also said the Pakatan Rakyat leadership had also clearly endorsed a position that no individual party policy can be its policy without full unanimous approval from all three parties.
“DAP’s position on hudud and Islamic state is crystal clear and regardless of whatever support for both hudud and the establishment of an Islamic State, whether from Pas or PKR, this will not be Pakatan Rakyat policy as long as DAP does not agree to it.,” he added, addressing one of Karpal’s long-standing grouse in the pact.
But he also cautioned the party can change its policies according to the wishes of its members.
“However, until today, there has been no requests to question or disturb the basic framework of co-operation between the 3 parties of DAP, Pas and PKR that makes up Pakatan Rakyat.
“However, until today, there has been no requests to question or disturb the basic framework of co-operation between the 3 parties of DAP, Pas and PKR that makes up Pakatan Rakyat.
“As the party secretary-general, I am duty-bound to execute these policies. However should any member wish to change them, there are required to use proper party channels to do so and not use the BN-controlled media,” he warned, referring to the furore caused by Karpal’s statement.
Lim also reiterated the party has been consistently urging the government to enact an anti-hopping law even before the Perak crisis.
“We have expressed the support of our 28 MPs. As BN does not have a 2/3 parliamentary majority, the support of DAP’s 28 MPs will be required to effect any constitutional amendment for such an anti-hopping law,” he said. -- The Malaysian Insider
2 comments:
When DSAI mentioned about possible cross-over from UMNO/BN at the Federal level, DAP Chairman has proposed to UMNO/BN that anti-hopping law be set-up and UMNO/BN will get the 2/3 vote with the support of DAP MPs and PR MPs in Parliment.
However, UMNO/BN did not accept this DAP Chairman offer.
So, my questions to all the people who doubt about PR and doubt about intention of DSAI on the crossover issue:
1. Why BN did not accept the offer of DAP Chairman on the anti-hopping law?
2. Do you people think DSAI did not remember the Coup d'etat in Sabah 15 years ago?
The Answers are:
1. UMNO/BN did not accept the anti-hopping offer by DAP Chairman because UMNO/BN has every intention to repeat the Coup D'etat in Sabah 15 years ago in a dirty way.
2. Of course DSAI and PR remember Sabah Coup D'etat 15 years ago. Maybe this crossover prediction by DSAI at the Federal level is a bait to get BN agrees to anti-hopping law. DSAI cannot disclose this type of important strategy to you and me publicly. The political struggle is more complicated than just writing blog, I hope bloggers and rakyat who would like to see changes in Malaysia be more mature and less naive.
My final comment is Crossover from BN to PR should not be encouraged, but if people is genuine to crossover from BN to PR to fight for change, PR should accept BUT strict screening should be done before acceptance.
Example, if Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is a BN MP and intends to join PR from BN, is PR going to refuse his application?
PR is not UMNO, PR must accept and open to criticism, that is what many rakyat want to see, open political system in PR, not the UMNO system. Therefore, PR leaders should now sit down together and have a talk and move on.
Siapa yang sanggup meredah ceruk kampung dan membuat road show seluruh malaysia semata2 untuk memberi penerangan, siapa yang sanggup turun naik makamah dan dipukul sehingga koma semata2 menegakan kebenaran kalau buka Anuar Ibrahim, tampa beliau tak mungkin PR sekuat sekarang sehingga PAS dan DAP dapat bersatu menentang BN...Ini lah yang dipanggil Ketua (Pemimpin Rakyat) Dah sampai masa Malaysia Mesti mengalami Revolusi Pentadbiran, lain negara sudah melaluinya, kita saja yang lambat
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