Anwar demands no-confidence vote against PM by next Tuesday

PETALING JAYA, Sept 18 — Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wants Parliament to convene by Sept 23 for him to table a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

He said that a letter signed by him as opposition leader had been sent to the PM to request that Parliament be convened by next Tuesday.

"We have told him we have the numbers. If he wants the details and doesn't believe me, then convene the emergency sitting," he told reporters at PKR headquarters here today.

He insisted it was critical for the PM to respond as "it is important to think of the nation and not themselves. They are a minority government, the majority is with us.

"You can ask him this evening for his response," referring to Abdullah's usual press conference after the Umno supreme council meeting later today.

The supreme council has a 3pm meeting scheduled today.

He added that if Abdullah refused their request, the PR leadership will meet again.

Anwar did not rule out the possibility that the opposition alliance would then seek an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

When asked why the PR alliance was not prepared to wait until Oct 13, when Parliament is scheduled to be in session again, he cited as his reasoning the current "state of flux, volatility, arrests, ISA, economic threats, switching portfolios midstream, uncertainty in Umno supreme council meetings" and asked: "How long can you wait?"

The PKR de facto chief rebutted Abdullah's statements yesterday, in which the PM accused Anwar of misleading the public when he claimed to have to have written to the PM to ask for a smooth transfer of power.

"The haggling over the syntax of our first letter is puerile at best," he said, adding that "in deference to his position, we remain considerate and polite in our approach."

He also called Abdullah reckless and irresponsible for saying he was a threat to the economy and security of the country.

Anwar pointed out that the stock market crashed today after the swapping of portfolios between Abdullah and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak, with the latter taking over as finance minister.

He conceded that it was also due to "global economic conditions, particularly in the US" but added that no analyst had ever blamed him for the economic downturn.

The former deputy prime minister claimed that he had met key fund managers in the region, representing over US$1 trillion (RM3.4 trillion) in capital, who were in support of reforms in Malaysia, including "judicial independence, a more professional police force, effective Anti-Corruption Agency, free media and non-interference of politicians in Bank Negara.

He also stated that he got in touch with SAPP leader Datuk Yong Teck Lee last night but did not reveal details of their discussion.

Anwar claims to have the support of more than 31 MPs from the governing Barisan Nasional coalition to allow him to take over the federal government.