Cowards of the Country?

Najib did not turn up for a BN Open House at Yuk Choy school in Ipoh last night and rumours were flying that he was afraid of being heckled or worse still, someone might do something similar to Bush that he might have to duck. Police road blocks at roads leading into Ipoh were set up for the past few days, and those that I have seen were at the trunk road between Gopeng and junction leading to Batu Gajah, and at Lahat this morning. A couple of days ago, when I saw policemen looking into carboot of some cars, I said they were actually looking for spare shoes!

This morning, at 11.00 am, behind Perak State Secretariat building which is also opposite DAP Perak headquarters, there was supposed to have been a signature campaign calling for the resignation of state assemblyman, Hee Yit Foong. By the time I reached there at 11.30am, I saw a crowd with strong police presence which turned out to be DAPSY leading some demonstrators carrying placards of a frog with $ signs walking from SUK to DAP building across the road.

In the DAP building were MP for Jelutong, Jeff Ooi, and Penang Chief Minister’s political secretary, Ng Wei Aik, who came all the way from Penang to lend support to DAPSY’s initiative in support of Pakatan’s Menteri Besar, Nizar. Notable presence from Selangor was state assemblyman, Jenice Lee. All the DAP state exco members were present. Soon after, MB Nizar arrived amid loud cheers of , 'Hidup Nizar'.

Jeff Ooi highlighted the fact that Pakatan’s leader, Anwar Ibrahim sought to have a vote of no confidence in Pak Lah but BN seemed afraid of the result. Now, in Perak, Pakatan is again asking for a State Assembly sitting to pass a vote of no confidence in Nizar, yet BN refused to entertain it.

If I am not mistaken, the next state assembly sitting is in April and most probably, under such circumstances, an emergency sitting could be called earlier to decide the impasse, yet there was this unusual haste in swearing in the new Menteri Besar, and soon, the Exco members.

For all the talk about Anwar starting the party hopping, it was actually a call for a vote of no confidence, yet BN was afraid of. Many people were of the opinion that the first frog in Perak, Nasaruddin, was clearly an entrapment for Anwar, to show him in bad light as having started the ball rolling.

Nizar highlighted the unusual haste of swearing in a new MB within 24 hours of accepting letters of support from the three state assemblymen which made a mockery of the system of democracy.

Soon after, DAP advisor, Lim Kit Siang (MP for Ipoh Timur) and Kulasegaran (MP Ipoh Barat) arrived after attending the Thaipusam ceremony.

PR appears to have the support of the people because of the unusual haste in appointing a new MB, based on the support of 3 dubious state assemblymen under suspicious circumstances. Besides, they have the trump card of the issue of Freehold land titles, something they claimed BN was unable and unwilling to do so for the past 50 years. The new Menteri Besar, Zambry, was noted for being the strongest critic when the matter was proposed in the state assembly. What now? MCA and Gerakan state leaders are now to bear the consequences if the new state government decide to go against it. A few hundred titles had been issued and there are many in various stages of application. As Roger Tan had mentioned in his article, any delay will work to the advantage of PR because those whose titles are being processed, as well as those yet to apply for it, are likely to support PR in future elections to ensure the issue of freehold titles.