Agence France-Presse - 9/9/2008 12:28 PM GMT
Malaysia's premier insisted Tuesday that his multi-racial coalition would not be torn apart by a rift over a ruling party member's incendiary comments about ethnic Chinese.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi also promised "stern action" against the politician who triggered the uproar, which highlighted tensions between majority Muslim Malays and the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.
It has also triggered unprecedented criticism from Chinese-based parties within the Barisan Nasional coalition, which is led by Abdullah's United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).
Ahmad Ismail, an UMNO leader from northern Penang state, sparked the row by describing ethnic Chinese as "lodgers", and escalated the situation Monday with an outburst in which he warned the community not to seek political power.
"The patience of the Malays and Muslims has a limit. Do not push us to the wall, as when we turn back we will be forced to push the Chinese in the interests of our own survival," he told a press conference.
"The Chinese should not try to be like the Jews in America -- it is not enough they control the economy, now they want political control," he said.
Malays are dominant in politics in Malaysia, while ethnic Chinese are prominent in business. Past violence between the two communities has made discussion of racial issues extremely sensitive.
Abdullah said after a meeting of the coalition's Supreme Council that party leaders had expressed "regret and anger" over the comments and that UMNO would make a decision on Ahmad's fate on Wednesday.
"Immediate action will be taken because any delay could make more people angry... tough action will be taken," he told reporters.
However, he insisted Barisan Nasional "will remain united and we will face all the challenges together".
"You want to see BN falling apart? We will never allow that to happen. We are like a football team, we are very aggressive but we are aiming at one goal and we want to win," he said.
Ahmad was defiant as he left a meeting with the premier earlier, saying Malays were "frustrated" and that Malay "dignity" was at stake.
"Half the Chinese say I'm a racist but most Malays say I'm a nationalist defending my race," he told reporters.
"What I see now is a rise of the Malay people, and I feel we should capitalise on the strength, the support we get from the Malay people... I know they are with me."
Koh Tsu Koon, from the Gerakan party which bore the brunt of Ahmad's criticism, said he accepted the premier's assurances that the comments did not reflect the views of UMNO.
He said there had been a "commitment that this issue will not be repeated or allowed to happen again".
The row has erupted as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim -- whose Keadilan party is the first pan-racial party in Malaysian political history -- attempts to woo the support of enough coalition lawmakers to topple the government.
In March elections he won a third of parliamentary seats, in the most serious challenge ever faced by the coalition, which has ruled for half a century.
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Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Malaysian opposition warns protests if Anwar bail revoked
Agence France-Presse - 9/9/2008 8:37 AM GMT
Street protests could break out if opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is stripped of his bail and sent to prison at a court hearing Wednesday on sodomy charges, his party said.
Anwar has dismissed the allegations -- the same charge that saw the former deputy premier jailed a decade ago -- as an attempt to derail his campaign to topple the government with the help of defecting lawmakers.
Last month he pleaded not guilty to the charge that he sodomised 23-year-old former aide Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, describing the allegations as "malicious" and a "slander."
He will appear in the Sessions Court for a hearing that his lawyer said could see the case moved to the High Court, or could possibly hear a petition to revoke his bail.
"If there is an application to withdraw the bail Wednesday, we will oppose it," lawyer Sankara Nair told AFP.
If government lawyers succeeded in such a move, 61-year-old Anwar would be detained in jail during a trial expected to last for several months, he added.
Tian Chua, information chief of Anwar's Keadilan party, said that hundreds of supporters were expected to converge on the court in Kuala Lumpur and warned against any move to revoke the bail conditions.
"It will spark public outrage. There could be street protests," he told AFP Tuesday.
Despite the serious allegation hanging over him, which carries a penalty of 20 years imprisonment, Anwar won a landslide by-election victory last month which returned him to parliament after a 10-year absence.
After March general elections that handed the opposition a third of parliamentary seats, he is now campaigning to secure the support of the 30 lawmakers from the ruling coalition he needs to form a new administration.
Sankara urged the authorities to drop the "trumped-up" charges.
"We fear Anwar will not get a fair trial since the charges are politically motivated," he said.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is under pressure to quit over his failure to check Anwar, has denied the government concocted the allegations against Anwar.
He has also vowed to thwart Anwar's bid to oust his coalition by September 16, a goal that political observers say will be very difficult to achieve.
Anwar's original sodomy conviction was overturned by the nation's highest court in 2004.
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Street protests could break out if opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is stripped of his bail and sent to prison at a court hearing Wednesday on sodomy charges, his party said.
Anwar has dismissed the allegations -- the same charge that saw the former deputy premier jailed a decade ago -- as an attempt to derail his campaign to topple the government with the help of defecting lawmakers.
Last month he pleaded not guilty to the charge that he sodomised 23-year-old former aide Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, describing the allegations as "malicious" and a "slander."
He will appear in the Sessions Court for a hearing that his lawyer said could see the case moved to the High Court, or could possibly hear a petition to revoke his bail.
"If there is an application to withdraw the bail Wednesday, we will oppose it," lawyer Sankara Nair told AFP.
If government lawyers succeeded in such a move, 61-year-old Anwar would be detained in jail during a trial expected to last for several months, he added.
Tian Chua, information chief of Anwar's Keadilan party, said that hundreds of supporters were expected to converge on the court in Kuala Lumpur and warned against any move to revoke the bail conditions.
"It will spark public outrage. There could be street protests," he told AFP Tuesday.
Despite the serious allegation hanging over him, which carries a penalty of 20 years imprisonment, Anwar won a landslide by-election victory last month which returned him to parliament after a 10-year absence.
After March general elections that handed the opposition a third of parliamentary seats, he is now campaigning to secure the support of the 30 lawmakers from the ruling coalition he needs to form a new administration.
Sankara urged the authorities to drop the "trumped-up" charges.
"We fear Anwar will not get a fair trial since the charges are politically motivated," he said.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is under pressure to quit over his failure to check Anwar, has denied the government concocted the allegations against Anwar.
He has also vowed to thwart Anwar's bid to oust his coalition by September 16, a goal that political observers say will be very difficult to achieve.
Anwar's original sodomy conviction was overturned by the nation's highest court in 2004.
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Malaysian MPs sent overseas amid opposition takeover bid
Agence France-Presse - 9/8/2008 6:15 AM GMT
Dozens of lawmakers from the ruling coalition left Monday for Taiwan on an educational tour, in an apparent bid to prevent them from joining an opposition push to topple the government.
The opposition led by Anwar Ibrahim, who has vowed to unseat the coalition by September 16, said the trip was an attempt to "corral and seclude" parliamentarians amid the high-stakes negotiations.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whose ruling party leads the Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, has vowed to thwart Anwar's plan to secure the 30 lawmakers he needs to form a new administration.
"Some National Front leaders are getting cold feet and more than a touch of panic," said Lim Kit Siang from the Democratic Action Party, which is part of the three-member opposition alliance.
"All in all, it is a national shame that the MPs should be treated like delinquent children who have to be packed off overseas and secluded from mischief, treating the National Front MPs as no better than chattel," he added.
But Tiong King Sing, chairman of the government backbenchers' club that organised the hastily arranged tour, defended it as an educational programme.
"It is not a forced trip. We are going to Taiwan to obtain some ideas on how to bolster our agriculture output. It has nothing to do with September 16. They can do what they want to do on that date," he told AFP.
Tiong said 50 MPs were participating in the eight-day tour, and that dozens had left on Monday. The Star newspaper said in an SMS alert that 41 had departed.
There are a total of 140 coalition lawmakers in parliament, and most of the would-be defectors were believed to be from the East Malaysia states of Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo island.
Anwar said he was on track to meet the deadline, though political observers have expressed scepticism he can recruit enough defectors by that date.
The 61-year-old opposition leader said government attempts to compel lawmakers to leave the country would not work.
"We have seen some very positive signs, but we have also seen the desperate acts by the government, threats and using institutions to discourage them," he said in Jakarta.
The opposition alliance gained unprecedented ground in March general elections, securing a third of parliamentary seats and five states from the coalition, which has ruled since independence from Britain half a century ago.
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Dozens of lawmakers from the ruling coalition left Monday for Taiwan on an educational tour, in an apparent bid to prevent them from joining an opposition push to topple the government.
The opposition led by Anwar Ibrahim, who has vowed to unseat the coalition by September 16, said the trip was an attempt to "corral and seclude" parliamentarians amid the high-stakes negotiations.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whose ruling party leads the Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, has vowed to thwart Anwar's plan to secure the 30 lawmakers he needs to form a new administration.
"Some National Front leaders are getting cold feet and more than a touch of panic," said Lim Kit Siang from the Democratic Action Party, which is part of the three-member opposition alliance.
"All in all, it is a national shame that the MPs should be treated like delinquent children who have to be packed off overseas and secluded from mischief, treating the National Front MPs as no better than chattel," he added.
But Tiong King Sing, chairman of the government backbenchers' club that organised the hastily arranged tour, defended it as an educational programme.
"It is not a forced trip. We are going to Taiwan to obtain some ideas on how to bolster our agriculture output. It has nothing to do with September 16. They can do what they want to do on that date," he told AFP.
Tiong said 50 MPs were participating in the eight-day tour, and that dozens had left on Monday. The Star newspaper said in an SMS alert that 41 had departed.
There are a total of 140 coalition lawmakers in parliament, and most of the would-be defectors were believed to be from the East Malaysia states of Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo island.
Anwar said he was on track to meet the deadline, though political observers have expressed scepticism he can recruit enough defectors by that date.
The 61-year-old opposition leader said government attempts to compel lawmakers to leave the country would not work.
"We have seen some very positive signs, but we have also seen the desperate acts by the government, threats and using institutions to discourage them," he said in Jakarta.
The opposition alliance gained unprecedented ground in March general elections, securing a third of parliamentary seats and five states from the coalition, which has ruled since independence from Britain half a century ago.
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