December 13, 2010
Najib’s call to voters has triggered PAS fears that BN would not graciously accept defeat at the polls. — file pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 13 — PAS lawmakers have predicted that Barisan Nasional (BN) will initiate a coup should Pakatan Rakyat (PR) win the next general election, widely speculated to be called by the first quarter of 2011.
PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar claimed today that Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s remarks cautioning Malaysians against voting for any party other than BN showed the prime minister’s desperation in clinging on to federal power.
“The PM said last Saturday that if BN cannot win, no one else can or should win. This is a dangerous remark here... what will happen [if] BN loses the next election?
“Does this mean that there will be a coup d’état? A threat has been made by the PM, as part of preparations into the elections, it is as if Najib himself is not so confident of his party’s chances in winning,” Mahfuz told reporters today.
Mahfuz was referring to news reports on Saturday, where Najib had said that voters should not risk the country’s future by voting for any other party besides the current ruling coalition.
Najib had also attacked PR then, saying the opposition could not work together as a team due to “differing ideologies.”
“This shows that the PM does not believe in the concept of elections. He is saying that he won’t let others win if BN loses. This is a slap to voters,” said another PAS MP, Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar.
Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad demanded Najib explain the meaning of his remarks, which Khalid claimed was actually a veiled threat.
“Najib needs to make a clear explanation, so that all of us can understand. We want a direct response, if he doesn’t give a response, it shows that he is not willing to let go of power,” said Khalid.
BN now holds 138 seats in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat while PR has 76. There are six independents and two from the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) which left BN in September 2008.
BN has never lost federal power since the country’s independence in 1957 when its predecessor, the Alliance party, started ruling the country.
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