16th September Coup?

Kelana Jaya Stadium, PJ. 15th Sept,2008. Picture by Choo Choy May

Is it really happening today? Well, only Anwar Ibrahim knows!

Anyway, history is suppose to happen today. So far nothing yet (duh!).

I was recently with some friends engaging in conversation about the current political issues at various kadai-kadai kopi that are within the radius of my natural habitat ( I thought I sounded like a beaver from National Geographic just then!).

The topic that was discussed about was "would Anwar Ibrahim be able to pull 16th September off?" Well, most Sabahans today are at the wait and see stage. Others simply don't care or were jaded due to the botched 1990 political coup that was attempted by the then Opposition state government of PBS, UMNO splinter group of Semangat 46 and Sarawak's PBDS. The time when cool leaders like Yong Teck Lee (left), Bernard Dompok (right) and others still reigned supreme. 

                            

Well, coming back to the point, we agreed 16th September won't happen but the coup will occur only not at the advertised date. Later on, my friends started throwing their own undisputed theories around about their take on what's going to happen on the 16th September. As usual, I let them drawl on and on while I waited until somebody paid for the drinks, for my time for listening to their mini ceramahs, before I took my leave of them.

Why should I muscle in by wasting my breath when I can use my fingers to do some blogging?

Anyway,

My take is simply this; Anwar Ibrahim is a veteran politician who is also a former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. He was the main man in charge of the nation whenever Dr Mahathir Mohamed went abroad. He wrested back Permatang Pauh with a thumping majority after a decade of absence.He is also the brightest of his generation.

We got all this wonderful credentials and then one fine day he said he'll take power on 16th September 2008. Why did he say that? I'm sure he knows the moment he opens his mouth that way the result will be as what's happening right now. Maybe 16th September is merely a point of distraction.

Before RPK's incarceration by the ISA, he mentioned that Anwar Ibrahim will take power on 16th September or he'll lose everything because he set up his own deadline. So therefore if that doesn't materialize, he'd be likened to a foolish clown (see below)

I beg to differ. I believe that Pakatan Rakyat will be ushered to power within the next few weeks and it doesn't need to be on 16th September. I believe the date is designed and engineered to get people worked up and hyped up to the point that the government can no longer control the situation. And after witnessing the series of flip-flops throughout the year, the Anwar Ibrahim Political Gambit is working. He will be the next Prime Minister. It is a matter of time now.

I could be wrong... for all we know he's already having a celebration bash with the defectors! But that's just me thinking and its my say and blog. (Thanks RPK!) 

So there!  I've said my piece and I'm signing off. But please do take a glimpse of this interesting article that I unashamedly swiped from The Malaysian Insider.

Happy Holiday* Everybody!

*Please ignore this if you're from neither Sabah nor Pakatan Rakyat states!

the malaysian insider Anwar: We are ready to take over

By Shannon Teoh and Debra Chong PETALING JAYA, Sept 15 - Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed tonight that his Pakatan Rakyat alliance is ready to form the government in the next 24 hours, but pointed out that the opposition was, however, prepared to delay the formation. Speaking at PR's Malaysia Day celebrations at the MBPJ Stadium in Kelana Jaya, he reiterated that the opposition coalition had the numbers in hand to form the next government. While Anwar made his claim, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi scoffed at the suggestion at a separate function tonight that the opposition was on the verge of forming the government.

Anwar, however, also suggested the change of government may not happen within the next day. "Why are we not changing tomorrow? We don't want to do it by force. To go to Putrajaya and drag them out. So, we want to negotiate with the prime minister to see if he wants one week or two weeks. "But our promise is that we will not follow the rule of the jungle. There will be no witch-hunting - what is done is done. What we want is to rule without corruption, detention without trial or theft of the people's resources." The opposition leader also told the crowd that he had already sent a delegation to Abdullah with a letter from the leaders of its three component parties seeking to discuss a peaceful transition of power. "Tomorrow is D-Day. We are ready to form the government. We have enough numbers and tomorrow we will make our stand clear," he said to over 10,000 gathered at the stadium. He spent much of his speech criticising the Barisan Nasional government especially with regards to the recent ISA arrests. He also made a raft of guarantees - to free all ISA detainees, reduce the cost of living immediately after taking his oath of office as prime minister. "Once I take the oath of office, we will free all the ISA detainees," he told the cheering crowd. Anwar also mocked Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar for suggesting Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng was arrested to protect her from threats to her life. "When they arrested me they even asked me to take off my underwear. What kind of protection is that?" he said. Earlier, Anwar made a dramatic entrance to the music from the Terminator 2 soundtrack to deafening cheers from the crowd. He started his speech by quoting from the famous "date with destiny" speech made by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, pointing out that "the appointed day has come... yet the turning point is past, and history begins anew for us." "This is also Malaysia's date with destiny," he said.