Anwar plans nationwide rallies if suspended

Anwar faces suspension from Parliament over his linking of 1 Malaysia to One Israel. — file pic

SELAYANG, June 9 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last night raised the prospect of nationwide rallies should he be suspended from Parliament, similar to those held when he was sacked as deputy prime minister 12 years ago.
The opposition leader is facing the powerful Rights and Privileges Committee over his remarks in Parliament early this year linking Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia with the One Israel initiative.
“The meeting started today (yesterday). Maybe I will be suspended but I don’t know for how long,” Anwar told a crowd at a party gathering in Selayang Stadium, here.
“If they suspend me for six months, for six months we will go on a tour across Malaysia,” he said to the more than 1,000 supporters who attended the rally.
When debating the royal address during the last Parliament sitting, Anwar questioned why Najib had engaged APCO Worldwide, which he claimed was previously hired by the Israeli government.
The Permatang Pauh MP also alleged that the 1 Malaysia concept was a carbon copy of Ehud Barak’s One Israel.
APCO has denied its links with One Israel and said that the 1 Malaysia initiative was conceived prior to the company’s appointment.
Najib announced the 1 Malaysia concept when he took office on April 3 last year, pledging to listen to the people and declaring that “the era where the government knows best is over”.
Anwar was referred to the Rights and Privileges Committee after the Dewan Rakyat was not satisfied with the explanation given by the former deputy prime minister.
The committee is chaired by Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and consists of four Barisan Nasional (BN) members and two Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs.
The BN representatives are Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee (Beluran), Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn (Alor Gajah), Datuk Nancy Shukri (Batang Sadong) and Datuk Razali Ibrahim (Muar).
PR is represented by PKR’s Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah and DAP chairman Karpal Singh (Bukit Gelugor).
The committee’s proceeding began yesterday, just one day after the Parliament passed a motion tabled by Najib to condemn Israel’s attack against a Gaza-bound aid ship.
Anwar said the action against him showed that the government was not serious in fighting for the Palestinian cause.
“When I started attacking APCO, I was called an enemy of Israel. Yes, I am against Israel because of their cruelty against the Palestinians,” he told the largely Malay crowd.
The rally was part of the attempt by PR to overtake BN in championing the Palestinian cause.
It was also attended by two volunteers, Jamaludin Elias and Mustafa Mansur, who were on board the MV Mavi Marmara, which was seized by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) last week for attempting to violate a blockade of the Gaza Strip imposed since 2007 to protect the Jewish state from attacks.