I welcome the belated admission by the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar that the police should not interfere in any no-confidence vote in Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, as in the absence of criminal elements, such matters are for the political parties themselves to resolve.
Specifically, the IGP said the police will not interfere in the allegation against a senior UMNO politician that he is attempting to unseat Prime Minister Najib through a vote of no confidence in Parliament.
Khalid told Malaysiakini: “This does not involve the police. We are only concerned with attempts to topple the government or prime minister through undemocratic means.”
I had earlier in the day asked Khalid to declare whether the police have found any plot to topple the elected government by violent or unconstitutional means as it is now ten days since the new Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi had launched a rampage with his tall tale of a heinous and treacherous plot to topple the elected government in Malaysia.
I said the Police should not allow Zahid to send them on a “wild goose’s chase” under Section 124B of the Penal Code on “activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy” when changing the Prime Minister or government is a legitimate process of parliamentary democracy – provided this is carried out in a peaceful, democratic and constitutional manner without resort to violent or unconstitutional means.
In fact, the very persons who should be investigated and even prosecuted under Section 124B of the Penal Code should include people like Zahid who are illegally and unconstitutionally abusing the legal process to deny the parliamentary democratic process from carrying out one of its functions – to change the Prime Minister or government of the day through the democratic process!
I am glad that there is now realisation by the IGP and the top police leadership that any effort at the peaceful, democratic and constitutional change of the Prime Minister or government is none of the business of police, but is an integral part of the process of parliamentary democracy, provided a new majority of Parliamentarians could be found to support a new Prime Minister or a new Government.
The Police must alwasys be mindful of its independent, professional and non-partisan political role and should never be tool of any political party or individual politician to undermine the democratic process – including the peaceful, democratic and constitutional change of government and the Prime Minister of the day.
Now it is left to the new Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi to eat humble pie and apologise to the nation and people for misuse and abuse of his position as Home Minister and access to government security and intelligence reports as to mislead several people to lodge false police reports about a plot of violent or unconstitutional toppling of the elected government of the country.
I had yesterday challenged Zahid to produce evidence to substantiate his allegation of a plot to topple the government by unconstitutional or violent means.
In Kota Belud yesterday morning, Zahid told the Kota Belud Umno division that the Government could have been toppled by undemocratic means if no steps had been taken to prevent it from happening.
He said he was compelled to reveal the plot involving the opposition and some “retired” leaders to put a stop to their plans.
He said: “As Home Minister I had received accurate information about what they intended to do and put a stop to it.
“Their plan was to set up a unity government. But their real aim was to seize power through the back door.”
Earlier, Zahid denied in Johore that the “plot to topple the government” was fake, and claimed that it was not only real but verified by intelligence reports by several agencies.
The IGP’s statement today confirms that Zahid had been the most irresponsible Home Minister in the 58-year-old history of the nation, abusing and exploiting his powers and position to consolidate his position in the power struggle of a political party, UMNO – which had never been done by any Home Minister in the past.
I challenge Zahid to produce evidence to show that there had been a previous Home Minister who had exploited his security position and responsibility to jack up their party position in UMNO.
Tun Musa Hitam, Tun Mahathir and Tun Abdullah who had held the Home Ministry portfolio had never done what Zahid had done, exploiting his security position and responsibility to jack up his party position in UMNO.
I hope Zahid will learn to be more humble and responsible with his sudden elevation as the No. 2 man in the Federal Government.
The country is faced with various political possibilities before the 14th General Election which must be held by 2018.
The first scenario is the continuation of the status quo, with Najib as Prime Minister, whether for the full term or Najib stepping down before the 14th General Election – although it is not certain who will succeed him as Prime Minister, whether Deputy Prime Minister Zahid or Deputy UMNO President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The second scenario which contains many variations and possibilities is a no-confidence move against Najib whether by a motion of no-confidence in Parliament when it reconvenes on Oct. 19, or by way of statutory declarations ala Perak by Members of Parliament from both sides of the House before Oct. 19.
The three former Pakatan Rakyat parties of DAP, PKR and PAS have a total of 88 MPs while UMNO/BN have 134 MPs, i.e. 88 UMNO MPs and 46 non-UMNO BN MPs, comprising:
UMNO – 88
MCA – 7
MIC – 4
PBB – 14
Gerakan- 2
SUPP – 1
PBS – 4
PRS – 6
SPDP – 4
UPKO – 3
PBRS – 1
I have said that although the three former Pakatan Rakyat parties of DAP, PKR and PAS have a total of 88 MPs, it will be foolhardy for anyone to assume that the 21 PAS MPs will all support a vote of no confidence against Najib unless there is clear and specific directive from the PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang himself. By Oct. 19, a new Islamist party would have been formed by Gerakan Harapan Baru.
In the circumstances, the safest bet is to assume that some 75-78 Opposition MPs will take a united common position on the no-confidence motion with the balance having to be made up from UMNO and Barisan Nasional MPs.
Are there at least 35 UMNO/BN MPs who are prepared to join with Opposition MPs on a “Save Malaysia” agenda including a no-confidence motion on Najib?
This scenario has many possibilities of combinations and permutations, two of which are:
(i) As suggested by former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir, a new Prime Minister from UMNO but the government remains UMNO/BN.
(ii) A caretaker government until 14GE including non-UMNO/BN parties, in which case the new Prime Minister would be chosen not just from among the present UMNO MPs but from all MPs supporting this option.
Whatever the final outcome, we will see the ironic fruition of Najib’s slogan of Malaysia as a Land of Endless Possibilities.