BY-ELECTIONS JOKE - FROM 8 TO ONLY JUST ONE? ALL EYES ON ANWAR STALWART JOHARI - AS PUBLIC ANGER OVER DIESEL PRICES SWIRL

BY-ELECTIONS JOKE - FROM 8 TO ONLY JUST ONE? ALL EYES ON ANWAR STALWART JOHARI - AS PUBLIC ANGER OVER DIESEL PRICES SWIRL

Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!

KUALA LUMPUR (politicsnowmy.blogspot.com) - All eyes are on Johari Abdul, the Speaker of Malaysia's Parliament - how much or little neutrality will he show over the position of six 'rogue' opposition MPs that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's administration is accused of outrageously enticing support from via unscrupulous means that allowed them to side-step the country's anti-hopping law.

Despite attempts by pro-Anwar media to white-wash Johari's record, the 69-year-old's cozy ties with Anwar are obvious - with controversies over nepotism and cronyism long dogging their relationship. 

While Johari quit as assemblyman for Gurun in Kedah before taking up his post as Speaker, ostensibly for the sake of parliamentary transparency, the seat was controversially given to his son Firdaus to contest in the 2023 state polls. His other son Taufiq contested the Sungai Petani federal seat in 2022, and is now the MP for the constituency, which has long been held by his father from 2008 until 2022.

ALL IN THE FAMILY? MUHYIDDIN FILING NOTICES BY THIS WEEK?

The 'all in the family' perception is hard to avoid as all three are members in Anwar's PKR party and have influential voices there. Hence, the great public cynicism about Johari acting neutrally or advancing the transparency and professionalism much needed in Malaysia's august house - if it went against Anwar's political interests.

Johari, a former Umno member before hopping to PKR in 1999, was also an ex-director of the BTN or National Civics Bureau that had been notorious for alleged racist 'brainwashing' of civil servants. 

Already he has come under fire as Bersatu, the main opposition party led by ex-premier Muhyiddin Yassin, prepares to file a notice to Parliament to vacate the seats of six of its MPs for contravening party line and voiding their own party memberships - thus triggering the Anti-Hopping law that would necessitate fresh polls.

“We will notify the Speaker of the Malaysian Parliament regarding the cases of the six MPs and the speakers of the Selangor and Kelantan state assemblies regarding the two state assembly members for Selat Kelang and Nenggiri, Kelantan in the near future. God willing, this week," Muhyiddin told the media late on Tuesday.

The six MPs are Syed Abu Hussin the Bukit Gantang MP, Zahari Kechik the Jeli MP, Azizi Abu Naim the Gua Musang MP, Iskandar Dzulkarnain the Kuala Kangsar MP, Suhaili Abdul Rahman the Labuan MP and Zulkafperi Hanapi the Tanjong Karang MP.   

Azizi the Gua Musang MP is also the assemblymen for Nenggiri, while Selat Klang assemblyman Abdul Rashid Asari is the assemblyman for Selat Kelang.

All seven reps will also be notified, added Muhyiddin.

8 BY-ELECTIONS OR JUST ONE?

A total of 8 by-elections are in store if Johari and his counterparts in Selangor and Kelantan accept the notices filed by Muhyiddin.

“This is an important test of the concept of separation of powers in our Parliament," Wan Saiful, Bersatu's MP for Tasek Gelugor, warned Johari not to abuse his powers and make a mockery of Parliament.

“The nation and the world will judge whether the Speaker acts to uphold the dignity of the Dewan Rakyat (federal Parliament) and the supremacy of the Constitution, or whether he acts in a partisan manner,” Wan Saiful had said in comments posted on Facebook.

TOUGH FOR TEAM ANWAR AS ANGER OVER DIESEL RISES

Yet with Anwar's declining popularity and weakening hold on power, many pundits believe that not only Johari but the Speaker of the Selangor state government, which is also controlled by Anwar's PKR party, will more likely to fail than pass the acid test of professionalism.

"It is not impossible that we could end up with just one by-election. And that's in Kelantan which is controlled by the Opposition. If this happens, it would be a real slap for Anwar and his team as they are the ones who keep talking about 'reformasi' (reforms) but when push comes to shove, they are seen to pull every 'dirty' trick in the book just like the previous regimes in power," a political insider told PoliticsNow!

"It'll be worse still for team Anwar if they lose the Nenggiri seat to Pas or Bersatu as that would be seen as the Malays' referendum on Anwar and his failed promises to improve their economic situation or even revamp the education system for their children. 

"In fact, with the latest subsidy cuts in diesel prices, higher electricity and water tariffs, food bills are rising like never before and only the value of the ringgit is dropping. The ordinary folk feel they are struggling more than before. So if you argue to them now that Pas and Bersatu's race-based and religion platform is useless because it can't put meat and veg on the table or improve their kids' future, they will laugh you - what's the good of all of Anwar's empty promises either? It's a 'proven fail' to them now."

Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!

https://politicsnowmy.blogspot.com/