Malaysiakini | September 17, 2008

The Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) has decided to pull out of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition to become an independent party.

The party’s supreme council, which met this afternoon, has opted to be an opposition party but will not join Pakatan Rakyat for now.

An upset Sapp deputy president Raymond Tan, who walked out of the council meeting, said he would resign as Sabah deputy chief minister and state minister for infrastructure development.

The party has two parliamentarians and four state assemblypersons.

The two MPs are Eric Enchin Majimbun (Sepanggar) and Dr Chua Soon Bui (Tawau), while the state representatives are Tan (Tanjong Papat), assistant state finance minister Melanie Chia (Luyang), Au Kam Wah (Elopura) and Liew Teck Chan (Likas).

According to Tan, he has yet to decide on whether he would quit the party, but said that Youth chief Au – who did not attend the meeting – has already resigned.

Party leader Yong Teck Lee made the widely expected announcement at a packed press conference at 4.30pm after the supreme council meeting.

“The BN has lost its moral authority to rule. Numerical majority in Parliament means little if the people no longer respect you,” he said.

“Sapp members who hold political appointments in the executive branch of government shall relinquish their posts by giving the due notice under the constitution and relevant rules and regulations, starting at the cabinet level.”

From The Boston Globe

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysia’s opposition leader said Tuesday he has more than enough pledges of support from ruling coalition lawmakers to topple the government, and urged the prime minister to give up power voluntarily.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s claims — his strongest yet and seemingly beyond the likelihood of a bluff — signaled he could be on the verge of nudging the ruling National Front coalition from power for the first time since independence in 1957.

Earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi brushed off Anwar’s claims. “This is Anwar’s mirage. It is nothing. It is merely a dream,” he said.

(more…)

Dari Malaysiakini
Ketua pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menegaskan lebih daripada 31 ahli parlimen Barisan Nasional telah menyertai Pakatan Rakyat dan menggesa Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi supaya tidak menguatkuasakan undang-undang darurat untuk menghalang peralihan kuasa.

Beliau memberitahu demikian dalam satu sidang akhbar yang penuh sesak di pejabat PKR di Tropicana pada jam 2 petang tadi.

Beliau bagaimanapun tidak mendedah sebarang nama ahli parlimen BN yang menyertai Pakatan.
“Kami mahu peralihan kuasa secara aman. Kami berharap Barisan tidak menguatkuasa undang-undang darurat untuk menyekat ahli-ahli parlimen pergi ke Dewan Rakyat atau menahan ahli-ahli parlimen (kerajaan) atau menghalang mereka daripada menyertai Pakatan Rakyat,” katanya.

(more…)

From The Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s opposition leader said Tuesday he has more than enough pledges of support from ruling coalition lawmakers to topple the government, and urged the prime minister to give up power voluntarily.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s claims — his strongest yet and seemingly beyond the likelihood of a bluff — signaled he could be on the verge of nudging the ruling National Front coalition from power for the first time since independence in 1957.

Earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi brushed off Anwar’s claims. “This is Anwar’s mirage. It is nothing. It is merely a dream,” he said.

Anwar’s People’s Alliance coalition won an unprecedented 82 seats in the 222-member Parliament in March general elections, 30 short of a majority. But during the last six months, he has been wooing disgruntled lawmakers from the National Front to defect.

(more…)