A strategic plan: Let Abdullah remain as PM for Now.

Friday April 11, 2008

Pakatan Rakyat will not push for no-confidence vote, says Anwar

By SHAHANAAZ HABIB and RASLAN SHARIF

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Rakyat will not push for a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Parliament for now.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was instrumental in putting together the Pakatan Rakyat coalition of PKR, DAP and PAS, said for the moment the issue did not arise.

“We don’t find it a necessity nor critical,” he said, adding that the leaders of the three Pakatan Rakyat parties would continue to monitor and discuss the situation closely.

There has been talk that the Opposition would try to move a vote of no-confidence against Abdullah when Parliament convenes later this month.

Anwar, who will be eligible to hold public office again from April 15 after a five-year ban, said he was in no rush to get back into the fray.

Saying this was not a priority, he said he did not expect to contest in a by-election “in the next few months.”

“Building up an effective and credible Pakatan Rakyat is far more important for now,” he told The Star in an interview.

Anwar said it was essential that the five Pakatan Rakyat states work hard to deliver on their promises to the rakyat.

“Our priority is to ensure accountability and good governance in managing the states. We have to anticipate the possibility that the Federal Government might create problems for us by not disbursing funds so we have to ensure that we fulfil promises to the electorate.

“The people have placed so much hope and trust on us. I saw it in their eyes when they came to our rallies. We cannot betray this. This goes beyond politics,” he added.

He believed that if Pakatan Rakyat delivered in the five states (Selangor, Penang, Kelantan, Perak and Kedah), then it could easily become the Federal Government in the next general election.

He reiterated that even now there were already a number of Barisan Nasional MPs wanting to crossover to the Pakatan Rakyat side.

Stressing that there was nothing morally wrong with this, he claimed, that if the recently concluded general election had been free and fair with the indelible ink being used, then Pakatan Rakyat would have won a lot more seats and formed the Federal Government.

On whether the “glue” holding the Opposition together would come unstuck if he was no longer around, Anwar said:

“The glue transcends me. The people have spoken and PKR, DAP and PAS are precisely compelled by their voters to work together.”

He also said he had asked the Opposition MPs to perform and be loyal Opposition members.

As to whether the 82 Opposition MPs were free to vote according to their conscience instead of having to toe the party line, he said, there had been views on the need to be flexible on this matter but a decision has yet to be made.

“But personally, I feel that if it is related to PR policy matters, then our MPs should back the party line. But on non-policy matters, they could have some flexibility. This way, we are giving our MPs recognition (to take a position of conscience),” he said.