Ronnie Liu: Dubai Move is not gaining traction but a sheer waste of time
VETERAN politician Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew (main pic, right) has weighed in on the Dubai Move by decucing that it is “not impossible but it’s not going to be easy either”.
According to a Facebook post of the former Sungai Pelek State Assemblyman, there are several hurdles faced by the plotters who tried to whip up another coup d’etat similar to the infamous Sheraton Move which has since left an indelible mark on the plotters.
Limited avenues
Liu said that both the outgoing and incoming Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA) have expressed their support openly for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PMX) whose coalition led in the last general election with the highest number of seats won.
The soon-to-be installed Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has also openly announced that he would not grant any royal audience to the Opposition before he is officially installed on Jan 31.
Looking at the next strategy to pass the motion of no confidence on Anwar in the next parliamentary session, Liu opined that this would also be nearly impossible to bypass the Speaker.
“A vote of no confidence cannot not be tabled without the approval of the Speaker,” he reiterated, adding that statutory declarations (SDs) alone is insufficient to overthrow the incumbent PM.
Besides, he added that the anti-hopping law prohibits individual MPs from crossing over to another coalition. “Although crossing over en bloc is allowed, this is highly unlikely to happen for now,” he said.
In fact, withdrawing support for the PMX under the present circumstances can attract great risks for the MPs. “The people’s perspectives have changed. The current mood is to focus on economy, not politics,” he observed.
(Main pic credit: Zunar)
Unlikely partnership
With the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) recently declaring openly its support for the PMX, it is unlikely that MCA, MIC and Warisan will withdraw their support unless GPS – the kingmaker with 23 seats – decides otherwise.
But GPS cannot risk its state election if it seeks to join a coalition which continues to harp on race and religion.
Going by the last general election, non-Muslim parties such as Gerakan did not receive the support of the people due the outright rejection of PAS and the people in Bersatu who were behind the Sheraton Move.
Sarawakians have also expressed their disgust over the way how PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang had chided them for still living on treetops and wearing cawat (loincloth) after losing one of the state by-elections.
Liu therefore dismiss the Dubai Move as nothing but the “panic attacks” especially by members of the opposition who were charged and several others who are currently under investigations for graft.
“Although some say that the so-called Dubai Move was a drama cooked up by certain Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders to prevent more Bersatu MPs from expressing support for PMX, my conclusion is that this is sheer a waste of time,” he added. – Jan 8, 2024
GPS happily supported Perikatan Nasional for 2 years , in spite of PAS Race and Religion games.
ReplyDeleteIn fact , GPS was very suspicious of PH and only supported after it was clear the winds had changed, and Sarawak would be left estranged if they remained in support of PN.