PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA, 23 SEPTEMBER 2008
On Tuesday I met with Pakatan Rakyat leadership from PAS in Kota Bharu, Kelantan and from DAP in Kuala Lumpur. Kelantan Mentri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat and PAS President Hajji Hadi Awang reaffirmed their commitment to the spirit and the goals of the coalition and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng expressed his satisfaction in the progress being made to strengthen and broaden the consensus among the Pakatan Rakyat parties and supporters from BN.
We also discussed the next steps that Pakatan Rakyat should take towards forming a government that reflects the support of the majority of Members of Parliament. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s failure to accede to our request for an emergency session of Parliament represents another attempt by the UMNO-led BN government to sabotage and scuttle the democratic process.
Nevertheless I along with my colleagues in Pakatan remain confident that the people’s desire for change shall soon be attained. We will proceed cautiously towards our goals and we agreed neither to be provoked into hasty action nor to take an irresponsible approach that would lead to instability and greater uncertainty in country. I am not aware of any negotiations taking place between Pakatan Rakyat and the Prime Minister—statements made yesterday suggesting that a line of communication was open were misinformed.
There is a crisis of confidence in the current leadership of the nation at a time when the Malaysian people are demanding solutions for the highest increases in prices in two decades, increasing joblessness and the dramatic decline in investor confidence.
While the newly appointed Finance Minister boasts that the country is in sound economic standing, the facts tell a different story. In 2008 already over RM 125 billion has been withdrawn from the country by investors weary of a government that has failed to implement a single reform to ensure judicial independence and that continues to use draconian laws such as the ISA to detain its citizens without due process of law.
These basic reforms are cornerstones of Pakatan Rakyat’s vision to revive the economy, to create more growth and good jobs for Malaysian people, to attract foreign investment, and to ensure adherence to constitutional guarantees including the position of Islam as the religion of the federation, the freedom to practice other religions, Bahasa Melayu as the national language and the freedom to practice mother tongue languages, and the status of the Malay kings and the special position of the Malays and bumiputera.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Opposition Leader
De-facto leader, Keadilan
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