Malaysia Watch: Split within Barisan National possible

Written by Abdel Jaber

WEDNESDAY, 08 APRIL 2009 Mahathir denied, Najib Razak’s feel good factor failed to materialize and Malays gave more support to the Pakatan Rakyat of Anwar Ibrahim, who is the man of the moment in Malaysian politics. Rumours across the Malaysian blogosphere suggest a group of Malay MP’s are pondering leaving the BN to join the PR in the opposition. As a result of the by-elections held in Malaysia yesterday, a split in the Barisan National (BN) is now possible. With the reconfirmation of the March 2008 election results in Perak and Kedah where the PR opposition snatched victories with larger majority is indication of trouble for the BN and the United Malays National Organization (Umno). Already it is being rumoured that Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Shahrir Ahma are bound to be sailing away from the Umno and the BN to join Anwar Ibrahim’s party the Party Keadilaan Rakyat (PKR). Some bloggers are even stating that they will bring a bunch of Umno members with them in order to force a no confidence vote in the Parliament against Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. If the rumor mill were to be reality, the PR would be in power in Putrajaya today. However, the reality in Malaysia is, despite the opposition's victory in the by-elections; only a General Election will decide the fate of the government and not the rumor mill. Source: Gema Minda Think Tank (Indonesia) READ MORE HERE ...