Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim told a 20,000-strong rally tonight that he had the numbers to form a new government tomorrow and wants to meet with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to discuss a handover.
"Tonight on the eve of Malaysia Day, we are ready to form the government tomorrow," he said to loud cheers from the jubilant crowd.
"We have the numbers to defeat BN," he said. "Tomorrow is D-day, we are ready to form the government."
According to him, Pakatan Rakyat has submitted a letter to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today seeking a meeting for a smooth transition of power.
"Tomorrow, we are ready. But the best time, I tell you, is when we have met the prime minister. A peaceful transition is paramount," he added, indicating that there will be no change of government tomorrow as he had promised earlier.
The opposition leader also did not provide more information on how many MPs Pakatan has in the bag and the number of government defectors.
Anwar will need at least 31 defectors from BN and perhaps over 40 for a stable Pakatan government.
"I believe that the government will fall in the next few weeks," he told journalists after the rally.
The massive crowd had earlier gathered at the Kelana Jaya stadium in Petaling Jaya to celebrate Pakatan's 'Hari Malaysia' celebration.
ISA dragnet slammed
Anwar, who began his 45-minute speech at 10.45pm, also emphasised the importance of Sabah and Sarawak to Malaysia.
He also criticised the ruling Barisan Nasional for pursuing a divide-and-rule agenda at the expense of the two east Malaysian states.
"This is the first time ever a celebration of this scale is being held to recognise that we are one - that Sabah and Sarawak are part of Malaysia," Anwar told the crowd.
He added that he would declare Sept 16 a national holiday when he takes over the government.
Anwar also slammed the Abdullah-led government of practising racial politics, which he said led to the ISA arrests of three people.
He urged the majority Malays not to be swayed by BN policies.
"The Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) benefitted only the rich and elite Malays, not you," he said.
Most of those in the crowd are there in the belief that PKR leader Anwar would make an important announcement tonight on the formation of a new government, which Anwar has repeatedly claimed he would do by tomorrow.
High expectation
Earlier Anwar entered the venue at 9.40pm to wild chants of ‘Reformasi!' and ‘Merdeka'.
Many Pakatan leaders were already at the venue, most of them also believing that Anwar would make an important announcement at the rally.
Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, when asked if there would be a surprise announcement, merely said: "Wait for Anwar".
Guan Eng and DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang had earlier entered the stadium to loud cheers.
Many people on the ground whom Malaysiakini spoke to also expressed confidence of an impending change.
"He may reveal the first batch of defectors and maybe on how they will approach the king.
"I think they will wrap it up and form a new government by the end of this month," said retiree G Maniam.
‘I am surprised at how fast things are changing," said another Pakatan supporter at the stadium, Anthony Tong.
The 52-year-old accountant from Cheras said that he would not be disappointed even if Anwar managed to seize power by the end of this year.
Another bluff, or is it real this time?
An update report here:
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment