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Sabah party's call for vote of no confidence unlikely to force him out, but it could snowball The opposition's de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has promised what BN has not been able to deliver - Sabah and Sarawak will each get 20 per cent in oil royalties, compared to the current 5 per cent. By Reme Ahmad, The Straits Times
FORMER premier Mahathir Mohamad suggested a few weeks ago that Barisan Nasional leaders who are unhappy with Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi should leave the coalition. He said they should form an independent group and act as power brokers to ask the Premier to step down. On Wednesday, the Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) did just that. The move has further weakened Datuk Seri Abdullah - the first Malaysian prime minister to face the threat of a no-confidence vote from his own coalition partner. But it is unlikely that he will be forced to step down because the Sapp is a tiny party with only two Members of Parliament, analysts say. Beyond that, there are procedures to follow before a motion of no-confidence could be tabled in Parliament, unless it is allowed by the Speaker of Parliament. 'The hope for the Sapp, with only two members in the Lower House, to table its proposal is very thin, especially as it also has to get enough support from other members,' said political commentator and blogger Abdul Kadir Jasin. For his part, the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, said his decision on whether to allow the motion would be based on rules. 'If I were to abuse my position as Speaker, it will affect me personally - my credibility as a politician and as an individual,' said the Umno Sabah politician. But PM Abdullah's position remains precarious. He has been trying to put out one political fire after another since his 14-party BN had a disastrous showing in the March general election. And there is a danger that the Sapp move might snowball. There are persistent rumours that leaders of Sabah-native party Upko and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) might bolt soon, observers say. The United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) has four MPs, and the PBS has three. The opposition's de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has promised what BN has not been able to deliver - Sabah and Sarawak will each get 20 per cent in oil royalties, compared to the current 5 per cent. Indeed, Datuk Seri Anwar has been the biggest winner in the unfolding drama. Observers at first just shook their heads when he said repeatedly that the three-party Pakatan Rakyat, an opposition coalition, would be able to take over the government by mid-September. Now people are beginning to sit up. 'We still think that the odds that Anwar will successfully take over the government are still against him, although they have certainly improved,' wrote political commentators Ong Kian Ming and Oon Yeoh in news website Malaysiakini yesterday. 'If before, we would peg his chances as 30 per cent, right now we'd say it's closer to 40 per cent.' In fact, many postings on websites showed that there is a sense of concern that governance of the country has suffered. One posting in the hugely popular Malaysia Today website says: 'BN is not governing the country any more. They are firefighting events everyday with little time to look and address the welfare of the nation and the people.' A posting in the New Malaysia blog added: 'The country must stop all the politicking as the general election is over 100 days ago, and focus on the economic growth and development to spur income and economic activities.' LITTLE HOPE 'The hope for the Sapp, with only two members in the Lower House, to table its proposal is very thin, especially as it also has to get enough support from other members.' POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND BLOGGER ABDUL KADIR JASIN
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