KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 – In an hour’s time, Malaysia’s King or Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah will be meeting the Malay Rulers in what will be the final process in the confirmation of who will lead the country as the new Prime Minister and bring the country out of the Covid-19 crisis and the economic doldrums.
Would it be a unity government as recommended by many or will UMNO be back to lead with former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri in the position of Prime Minister or will it by any chance of good grace Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who had been promised the role one too many times before.
Meanwhile the petitions in the last few days have been many, particularly after Ismail Sabri was said to have the majority of 114 votes from the Members of Parliament.
Among the popular petitions that continue to get clicks on the Change.org include the one started by Kyle Mohd – We don’t want Ismail Sabri Yaakob to be prime minister Malaysia – which has already garnered 340,000 votes.
Among the grouses against him include his handling of Covid-19, and a previous social offence, where he was reported to have sparked a firestorm of protest over his Facebook post urging Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses said to discriminate non-Chinese entrepreneurs, arguing that it was necessary for Malays to exercise consumer power to prevent “profiteering” by the Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese that control over 90% of Malaysian economies.
Another petition just started by lawyer and human rights advocate Ambiga Sreenevasan calling for a unity government – Gencatan Politik: Tubuhkan Kerajaan Perpaduan Nasional – has been getting the clicks by the second and already close to its targeted 7,000 clicks.
The petition by James Wong – Tuanku, Malaysia Is In Desperate Need For A Fresh Start – also continued to see clicks – as this was being written. More than 32,380 Malaysians have given their signatures to the click, which is directly pleading with His Majesty to consider giving Anwar Ibrahim the chance to become Malaysia’s 9th Prime Minister.
The petitioner said Anwar had the support of strong MPs who had not hopped parties and display a sense of high loyalty, a quality many party-hopping MPs seemed to employ according to circumstances.
“Your Majesty, we, the undersigned and your humble and obedient subjects, would like to call upon you to tap on your wisdom to appoint a new leader in Anwar Ibrahim to lead the nation out of the current health and economic crises.
“It was not so long ago when Malaysians overwhelmingly elected a new coalition government under the platform of Pakatan Harapan ( PH ) at the 14th general election in 2018. Tuanku, this is the most opportune moment to reinstate a government mandated by the rakyat at the last general election.
“Your Majesty, we would also like to draw your attention to the fact that the current PH coalition, under the leadership of Anwar Ibrahim, is the largest bloc with 88 lawmakers. As such, Anwar should be invited to form a new government.”
Meanwhile, the media has been awaiting at the gates of the Istana Negara, for the news that would either brighten the lives of Malaysians with hope or dampen their spirit further in this web of uncertainty brought on by Covid-19.
— WE