1:10PM Feb 16, 2015
Penang Pakatan Rakyat is gearing up for the impending Permatang Pauh by-election and has discussed the matter at a meeting on Saturday.
The chief minister’s political secretary, Wong Hon Wai(right), said the meeting was chaired by his boss Lim Guan Eng - who is also the DAP secretary-general.
Top state Pakatan leaders like Penang PKR chief Mansor Othman, Penang PAS comissioner and party deputy chief Mohamad Sabu and state DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow attended the session as well.
“We have decided to prepare for the Permatang Pauh by-election, as the seat will be vacated soon,” said Wong.
“Among others, we discussed the current political development, administrative duties and the challenges we have to face in the coming days.
“We also discussed about opposition leader and Permatang Pauh MP Anwar Ibrahim’s imprisonment and have (our) pledged support for him,” Wong added in a statement today.
The meeting then appointed Wong - who is also the state DAP treasurer - to head the Penang Pakatan secretariat, while his deputies are state PAS secretary Mohd Fadzil Kemi and state PKR secretary Zulkefly Saad.
The Penang government has organised a solidarity gathering for Anwar in Seberang Jaya on Saturday, and DAP will also be leading a session at the Han Chiang High School field at 8pm tonight.
The parliamentary constituency is expected to be declared vacant on Feb 24, and a by-election called within 60 days if Anwar refuses to seek a pardon from the Agong.
Pakatan also expressed its condolences to the family of the late PAS spiritual leader and former Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who passed away on Thursday in his residence in Pulau Melaka.
Penang Umno has declared its intention to contest the Permatang Pauh seat, saying that the party was prepared to fight it out in the PKR stronghold, which has been held by Anwar since 1982.
It is noted that his wife and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had held the seat while Anwar served a six-year jail term for abuse of power related to a sodomy charge between 1999 to 2004, after which she resigned to allow Anwar to return to active politics.
Pakatan's 'greatest crisis'
Meanwhile, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang suggested that Umno should forget about contesting the seat as it is mulling to do so in Chempaka - which was left vacant with Nik Aziz’s death.
Kit Siang claimed that Umno’s intention to drop the Chempaka seat and contest Permatang Pauh is aimed at creating “disunity and distrust” among Pakatan parties.
He said this yesterday at the inaugural DAP ‘Support, Sympathy and Solidarity with Anwar Ibrahim’ ceramah at Dewan Orang Ramai, Taman Cheras Jaya in Selangor.
However, Kit Siang conceded that Pakatan is “afflicted with its greatest crisis” since the coalition formed seven years ago.
He pointed out that Pakatan can only sustain and succeed if all parties adhere to uphold strictly to its common policy framework and allow the coalition leadership council to be the highest policy-making body.
“If we stay loyal to these two fundamental principles, Pakatan will be able to grow from strength to strength to fulfill the hopes of generations of Malaysians for change and Malaysia’s rendezvous with greatness,” Kit Siang (left) noted in a statement.
Kit Siang then proposed an “eight-year road map” for the three Pakatan component parties to put aside whatever differences they have.
Eight years is also the time frame in which Anwar has to stay politically inactive - five years in jail for sodomy (about three years if he is released on good behaviour) and a five-year ban from politics after his release.
“If the component parties are prepared to make this eight-year commitment, we would have found the formula to ensure that Pakatan is poised for a serious bid for Putrajaya to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of Malaysians for change for the better - for the people and nation.
“However, I have no doubt that Nik Aziz would not only have given his blessing, but his full support as he is undoubtedly one of the architects of Pakatan - without whom it would not have achieved the good results in the 2008 and 2013 general elections,” said Kit Siang.
“It is now for all Pakatan leaders to strive to save the coalition from disunity and disintegration, which will be the greatest tributes to both Anwar and Nik Aziz for their life-long struggle and commitment for justice, freedom, human dignity and national unity,” he added.
The chief minister’s political secretary, Wong Hon Wai(right), said the meeting was chaired by his boss Lim Guan Eng - who is also the DAP secretary-general.
Top state Pakatan leaders like Penang PKR chief Mansor Othman, Penang PAS comissioner and party deputy chief Mohamad Sabu and state DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow attended the session as well.
“We have decided to prepare for the Permatang Pauh by-election, as the seat will be vacated soon,” said Wong.
“Among others, we discussed the current political development, administrative duties and the challenges we have to face in the coming days.
“We also discussed about opposition leader and Permatang Pauh MP Anwar Ibrahim’s imprisonment and have (our) pledged support for him,” Wong added in a statement today.
The meeting then appointed Wong - who is also the state DAP treasurer - to head the Penang Pakatan secretariat, while his deputies are state PAS secretary Mohd Fadzil Kemi and state PKR secretary Zulkefly Saad.
The Penang government has organised a solidarity gathering for Anwar in Seberang Jaya on Saturday, and DAP will also be leading a session at the Han Chiang High School field at 8pm tonight.
The parliamentary constituency is expected to be declared vacant on Feb 24, and a by-election called within 60 days if Anwar refuses to seek a pardon from the Agong.
Pakatan also expressed its condolences to the family of the late PAS spiritual leader and former Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who passed away on Thursday in his residence in Pulau Melaka.
Penang Umno has declared its intention to contest the Permatang Pauh seat, saying that the party was prepared to fight it out in the PKR stronghold, which has been held by Anwar since 1982.
It is noted that his wife and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had held the seat while Anwar served a six-year jail term for abuse of power related to a sodomy charge between 1999 to 2004, after which she resigned to allow Anwar to return to active politics.
Pakatan's 'greatest crisis'
Meanwhile, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang suggested that Umno should forget about contesting the seat as it is mulling to do so in Chempaka - which was left vacant with Nik Aziz’s death.
Kit Siang claimed that Umno’s intention to drop the Chempaka seat and contest Permatang Pauh is aimed at creating “disunity and distrust” among Pakatan parties.
He said this yesterday at the inaugural DAP ‘Support, Sympathy and Solidarity with Anwar Ibrahim’ ceramah at Dewan Orang Ramai, Taman Cheras Jaya in Selangor.
However, Kit Siang conceded that Pakatan is “afflicted with its greatest crisis” since the coalition formed seven years ago.
He pointed out that Pakatan can only sustain and succeed if all parties adhere to uphold strictly to its common policy framework and allow the coalition leadership council to be the highest policy-making body.
“If we stay loyal to these two fundamental principles, Pakatan will be able to grow from strength to strength to fulfill the hopes of generations of Malaysians for change and Malaysia’s rendezvous with greatness,” Kit Siang (left) noted in a statement.
Kit Siang then proposed an “eight-year road map” for the three Pakatan component parties to put aside whatever differences they have.
Eight years is also the time frame in which Anwar has to stay politically inactive - five years in jail for sodomy (about three years if he is released on good behaviour) and a five-year ban from politics after his release.
“If the component parties are prepared to make this eight-year commitment, we would have found the formula to ensure that Pakatan is poised for a serious bid for Putrajaya to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of Malaysians for change for the better - for the people and nation.
“However, I have no doubt that Nik Aziz would not only have given his blessing, but his full support as he is undoubtedly one of the architects of Pakatan - without whom it would not have achieved the good results in the 2008 and 2013 general elections,” said Kit Siang.
“It is now for all Pakatan leaders to strive to save the coalition from disunity and disintegration, which will be the greatest tributes to both Anwar and Nik Aziz for their life-long struggle and commitment for justice, freedom, human dignity and national unity,” he added.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/289434
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