FMT - Businesses happy with ‘tested’ duo but fear ‘impatience’ in Anwar camp (extracts):
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PETALING JAYA: While the financial sector has largely welcomed the return of Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his trusted ally Daim Zainuddin into government, there are concerns that a repeat of the rift between the prime minister and his one-time deputy Anwar Ibrahim could deal a blow to reforms being undertaken by the new government, Singapore’s The Straits Times (ST) reports.
The paper quoted a close friend of Daim as saying that the business community was generally “comfortable” with the former finance minister, who now heads a team of “eminent persons” to advise the government on economic reforms, because the Mahathir-Daim combination was a “tested brand”.
“The general view is that Dr Mahathir is likely to stay for two years and there are questions among investors about what happens after that,” said Ismail Jaafar, who owns a business consultancy.
The report comes amid speculation that a delay in naming the rest of Mahathir’s Cabinet members was due to disagreements over the choice of ministers.
Already there were murmurs of protests in the PKR camp after only three of its leaders were named in the 14-member Cabinet, with key portfolios of Finance, Home Affairs, Defence and Education being given to DAP, Amanah and Mahathir’s PPBM.
PKR president, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who was made the deputy prime minister as part of a pre-election deal by the Pakatan Harapan coalition, is meanwhile tasked with heading the women’s affairs ministry.
ST said there was an “uneasy state of affairs” that could lead to “impatience” among Anwar and his allies.
“That, in turn, could result in serious strains and lead to a political confrontation among members of the ideologically diverse ruling coalition,” it said.
“That, in turn, could result in serious strains and lead to a political confrontation among members of the ideologically diverse ruling coalition,” it said.
The fear is not new. Less than 10 days after Mahathir was sworn in as prime minister, Daim warned of “young fellows that are in a hurry” to see Anwar taking over the government, although he was careful to say they were beyond Anwar’s control.
“They are the ones that are impatient, not Anwar,” Daim had told reporters on May 18.
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wakakaka, admittedly from an earlier period |
Naturally big businesses like Mahathir and Daim, wakakaka.
But despite Daim's diplomacy in attributing the impatience within the PKR camp to its young hot-heads, the reality is Anwar himself has been impatient as well. Bear in mind he has been in the 'outer' and also in jail since 1999. That's 20 years which makes him mighty eager to come in from the cold.
Remember the Otai Reformasi? Read my previous post Civil War in PKR?. These blokes can't stand Mahathir nor Azmin Ali nor Zuraida Kamaruddin.
Do you think they are prepared to let Anwar sit out in the cold for a further 2 to (as Mahathir wants) 3 years after 20 years of marginalisation initiated by the Mahafiraun?
PKR (the faction under Wan Azizah) feels as the party in PH with the most number of parliamentary seats after GE14, they have the justification to demand for a fairer share of the spoils of war instead of just Wan Azizah's women affairs ministry (they don't consider Azmin and Zuraida as mateys, wakakaka).
Notwithstanding his statements after being released from prison that he wasn't in a rush and fully support Mahathir's continuation as PM, we see Anwar recently moving in stealth among the royals and at the same time making noisy speeches.
Look mateys, two tigers can't exist on the same mountain.
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Hmmm, this time he better gets it right.
Hmmm, this time he better gets it right.
A wee aside, from his speeches, I note one of Anwar's bug-bears (and he has many) seems to be to extract revenge for Sodomy II via the Altantuyaa murder case, hence his strident call for Sirul to be repatriated back to Malaysia. But alas, until Malaysia abolishes capital punishments, Australia cannot do so as it's in its law.
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in Arizona, USA |
Interesting times lie ahead for Malaysia.