86. PR will meet King
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will send a letter to King, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin on the transfer of power from Barisan Nasional to the opposition pact, and a request to convene a special parliament session, said the coalition's leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"The letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is about a peaceful transfer of power and a special parliament session to table a no-confidence motion against the prime minister.
"We are demanding that the prime minister respect the people's rights to choose us," he told reporters after attending the proceeding related to his sodomy case at the Sessions Court in Jalan Duta here today.
In a press statement issued earlier, Anwar said PR leaders had decided to proceed cautiously and will not take a hasty approach towards attaining their goal of forming the new federal government.
He said PR will not be provoked into taking hasty actions or adopt an irresponsible approach that would lead to instability and greater uncertainty in the country.
Anwar, who met PAS leaders in Kelantan and DAP leaders in KL on Tuesday, said PAS leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the spirit and goals of the coalition while Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng expressed his satisfaction in the progress being made to strengthen and broaden the consensus among Pakatan Rakyat parties and supporters from Barisan Nasional.
Anwar said the among the matters discussed were the next steps that Pakatan Rakyat should take towards forming a government that reflects the support of the majority of Members of Parliament.
"There is a crisis of confidence in the current leadership of the nation at a time when the Malaysian people are demanding solutions for the highest increases in prices in two decades, increasing joblessness and the dramatic decline in investor confidence," said Anwar.
"Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's failure to accede to our request for an emergency session in Parliament represents another attempt by the UMNO-led BN government to sabotage and scuttle the democratic process," he added.
"Nevertheless, I along with my colleagues in Pakatan remain confident that the people's desire for change shall soon be attained," he said.
On another note, Anwar denied any knowledge of claims made by his information chief Tian Chua recently that contacts were made with Government intermediaries for a smooth power transition.
"I am not aware of any negotiations taking place between Pakatan Rakyat and the Prime Minister - statements made suggesting that a line of communication was open were misinformed," he said.
Tian Chua, who was earlier quoted by a foreign news wire as saying that there had been several meetings since the weekend between Pakatan Rakyat's middleperson and Abdullah's middleperson, has since retracted his statements.
Abdullah, who denied such contacts made through intermediaries, was quoted in the media as saying it was the 'craziest report ever' - theSun.
