Light At The End Of The Tunnel?
As I mentioned yesterday, the constitutional process has finally begun. Despite the Prime Minister’s refusal to convene an emergency session of Parliament as requested by Anwar Ibrahim, it merely serves to delay the inevitable. The former is now facing the unenviable task of surviving a vote of censure. It no longer is a question of “if” but “when”.
His Majesty the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong is also able to request that the Speaker re-convenes Parliament for an emergency sitting if so required and according to some sources a request has been made to Istana Negara seeking an audience with His Majesty. The same source provides some hypothetical scenarios that can be played out.
Malaysiakini carries an op-ed that opines that the current impasse is finally heading towards a climax. It quotes a political analyst from the Singapore based Control Risks Group as saying :
It may be approaching the end game. All the strategies they have been able to come out with are almost all played out except for the final few .. I think there is still a lot of uncertainty but Anwar is looking like he may pull it off.”
Even the equities market seem to be responding positively to the new scenario that has unveiled itself over the last 24 hours (then again, it could be due to the capital infusion from the various central banks).
Nonetheless, how it ultimately plays out will still very much depend on the incumbent. As CPPS chairperson, Ramon Navaratnam, puts it:
“If Anwar’s 31 seats are real, then it is the coup de grace. That will be the end of the era of the BN. Abdullah will be saluted for letting the democratic process take place and for not stifling the country with arrests and emergency rule. It will be his finest hour and he will go down in history as the man who liberalised the democratic system in Malaysia,”
