Ku Li: Amanah ready to work with Bersih

He also said that he left it to his voters in Gua Musang to decide if he should be replaced for the next general election.

SUNGAI BULOH: Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah today said that his Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) would cooperate with polls reform group Bersih if both shared similar objectives.

The Gua Musang MP and Amanah president said the movement – which had also been vocal in calls for poll reform – welcomed cooperation with Bersih but he remained silent on the prospect of joining Bersih’s planned mass protest on April 28.

“Yes on beliefs that we both share, we can cooperate with them. Amanah will cooperate with those who want to work together,” he told a press conference here after opening his group’s local chapter.

Razaleigh, affectionately known as Ku Li, found Amanah as a pressure group on Putrajaya and it has been critical towards the Najib administration on several issues, including demanding for poll reforms to be implemented before the 13th general election is held.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had recently said that it would look into the 22 point recommendations made by the parliamentary select committee (PSC) which he set up on the matter but failed to give assurance that the suggestions would be in place before he calls for elections.

While opposition lawmakers blasted the PSC as a failure, Bersih in an immediate reaction said it would launch Bersih 3.0 – a planned nationwide sit-in rally with the main event being held at the historic Dataran Merdeka.

Its predecessor, Bersih 2.0, which saw tens of thousands march in the city centre despite blockades and a harsh crackdown that received worldwide attention, forced Najib to concede on the need to clean up the election system.

The PSC was subsequently set up in a move aimed at mitigating a potential voter backlash. Bersih leaders hailed the rally a success.

Up to voters

Razaleigh had said in the past that Bersih’s rising popularity was the Najib government’s own doing, criticising the government’s failure to engage and heed the group’s demands for a free and fair election, demands which he deemed as legitimate.

His criticism on his own party, however, drew flak from Umno’s senior leaders and party members including the alleged call for the Kelantan prince not to defend his seat in the coming polls.

Speaking on this, the Gua Musang MP said although it was up to Najib to decide on the matter, his fate was still ultimately up to his constituents.

“It’s up to the voters. I respect various views so it is up to them,” he said in response to queries on the alleged calls for him to make way for others to stand as the ruling coalition’s new Gua Musang candidate.

Any move to replace Razaleigh as the Gua Musang MP would likely face stiff opposition given his popularity in the Malay-majority seat.

Amanah says Bersih 3.0 justifiable

Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir says the government's sincerity to clean up the election process was questionable.

KUALA LUMPUR: Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) today backed Bersih’s plan to hold a mass protest on April 28, saying it is justifiable as Putrajaya had failed to ensure poll reforms are in place before the 13th general polls.

Its deputy chief Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir said in a statement that the government’s sincerity to clean up the election process was questionable, citing the hasty approval of the parliamentary select committee (PSC) report last Tuesday.

The report was tabled and approved in Parliament without debate while House Speaker Pandikar Mulia Amin, who has been criticised for bias on numerous times, had rejected the minority report which included the assurance that poll reforms are in place before elections commence.

“Furthermore, there are no timelines mentioned at all in the report as to when the various recommendations will be implemented and completed if at all. Certaintly this raises great concern and worry amongst the people. Hence the justifiable talk on Bersih 3.0,” he said.

Bersih leaders announced on Wednesday that it will proceed to hold a protest after they deemed Putrajaya’s election reform pledges a failure following the committee’s refusal to meet the key demand.

Kadir, a former member of Umno who quit the ruling party after his criticism against Putrajaya exposed him to media attacks, said the PSC had also failed to heed two of Amanah’s most important recommendations submitted to PSC at its meeting in Johor Bahru recently.

The group had repeatedly called for the government to release its grip on the media and the “neutralising” of all government departments, semi-government departments, government-linked companies including the police and the army.

The former federal minister claimed these institutions are often “blatantly” exploited for a lopsided campaign during the “countdown period” leading to the elections.

“Amanah feels that our above proposals together with the other recommendations can be implemented very easily and very fast and this will be all to the credit of the ‘Political Transformation’ that has been announced”.

He said Amanah echoes the views of other groups who call for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak against holding elections until all poll reform pledges are met.

Amanah wants to ‘pour out its heart’ to Najib

The newly-formed NGO is seeking a meeting with the prime minister to discuss the various problems facing the country.

EXCLUSIVE - FMT

SERI KEMBANGAN: Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) will seek a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to “pour out its heart” to him about the state of the nation.

The group’s deputy president Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir said that it would be Amanah’s first attempt at making an impact towards “rebuilding” the nation.

“We will seek an appointment with the prime minister and in a closed-door session pour out our heart to him. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear some of our suggestions,” Kadir, the former tourism minister, told FMT in an interview at his office here yesterday.

No date has been given for the proposed meeting but Kadir said this will be the group’s first agenda after the festive months.

Amanah, with a glitzy lineup of former ministers, prominent opposition leaders and academics, is touted to be a possible influential pressure group likely to court support from the “silent majority”.

The NGO was formed and is headed by respected Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in a bid to rekindle the constitutional spirit espoused by the founding fathers amid a troubled and more racially divided Malaysia.

The group had also expressed concerns over the country’s economic woes, blaming patronage politics, corruption and rampant cronyism as the main factors behind Malaysia’s losing commercial appeal.

Serious problems

Kadir, who was very critical of the Najib administration at the launch of Amanah on July 22, said the prime minister’s promised reforms have not been followed through and the implementation remains questionable.

“He has been making a lot of good statements, good announcements. But unfortunately, it has not been happening on the ground. If I were him… I would stop for a while and see if the reforms are being properly implemented.

“If he were to look into this aspect (implementation), I think he will find that he has serious problems,” he said.

Najib’s promises of reforms have come under public scrutiny as key structural changes remain elusive despite announcements of various projects meant to propel the country forward.

Kadir said that Amanah has vowed to address these concerns but the NGO gave little details on how it aims to achieve its objectives.

The fact that most of its top leaders, including Kadir and Razaleigh, are still members of Umno has prompted speculation that Amanah is set to be the third political player but Kadir denied the group wants to lead a third force.

He said Amanah was an avenue created as a result of the contracting space for dissent within Umno as well as other Barisan Nasional component parties.

“There is little space for dissent. Now if we speak up, we are seen as the bad boys,” he said.