When denial means true

The PM says Anwar is not a factor in the date of dissolution of parliament 0n 13.2.08.How to trust him when he was not truthful in announcing the date of dissolution a day before?He denied when asked but less than 24 hours,he did it.No sweat.

Now he says Anwar was not a factor which,by simple reasoning, implies that he was the main factor.Soon he may say he does not know who Anwar is.Malaysian politicians are peculiar,they think we, the voters are stupid.They grossly underestimate our intelligence.We must prove we are not stupid come March 8, otherwise only God can save Malaysia.

Dr.Chris Anthony

'Forgotten' Anwar no longer a factor

Syed Jaymal Zahiid Malaysiakini,Feb 14, 08 6:28pm

“Forget Anwar Ibrahim. He is nothing.”

That was the straight reply from Umno president and Barisan Nasional chairperson Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when asked if BN would have had a daunting prospect of facing PKR’s de facto leader in the coming elections.

Abdullah said that Anwar was not a factor in upcoming elections, saying he had "forgotten" about him.

The statement was also made to counter allegations of fear on the side of Umno and BN that if Anwar was allowed to contest, his party PKR would see a majority of voters swinging towards the opposition half.

“It (choosing the election date) has nothing to do with Anwar. We always face the opposition (and) they are not a problem ,” Abdullah told reporters in a press conference held after chairing an Umno Supreme Council meeting at the party’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur this morning.

This coming April marks the expiry of Anwar’s legal barring from participating in active politics.

Anwar had objected to the timing of the polls on March 8, just a month before he is eligible to run for office after the ban expires, saying it was designed to keep him out of the race.

"Nothing to do with that," However Abdullah said today.

"We have forgotten about Anwar. I don't remember about Anwar," he told reporters.

“It is not me who decides on the election date but the Elections Commission,” he said as a rebuttal to opposition accusations.

Anwar, once a star Umno politician, was sacked by then premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and jailed in 1999 on corruption and sodomy charges that were widely seen as politically motivated.

The sodomy charge was later quashed but the corruption count bars him from politics until April this year.

The former deputy premier and finance minister said that Abdullah was rushing to the polls after his approval ratings dropped to an all-time low.

"Malaysians are hard hit by rising prices, rampant crime, endemic corruption and heightened ethnic tensions. The longer that Barisan Nasional waits, the more seats it stands to lose in the general election," he said in a statement.

Samy Vellu to be dropped?

Abdullah also did nothing to dismiss rumours when he was persistently asked by reporters to comment on MIC President S Samy Vellu’s candidacy in the polls.

Samy Vellu has been the center of tremendous media and opposition speculations that he will no longer be fielded following his unpopular stand among the nation’s Indian community.

When pressed if Samy Vellu will be defending his seat in Sungai Siput, Perak, Abdullah said he has not come up with a decision yet.

“You might never know, he may not even put his name on the list,” he said, leaving reporters bewildered.

His reply was followed by more questions on the fate of Samy Vellu but Abdullah retorted by saying that he does not want to make speculative statements as the list of candidates to contest have not been finalised.

Umno is ready

Earlier, the Umno top brass held a meeting to discuss their election preparations and other matters related to the elections.

Abdullah said Umno and BN were confident of retaining victory against the opposition when they battle out each other in the 12th general election slated for March 8.

He also said that all Umno leaders have reached an agreement on the party’s election preparations and that the top leaders have ensured that election coordination be done smoothly.

Adding on, he said that this election will see candidates chosen based on their track records and he also said that he was currently assessing the ‘report cards’ of previous candidates.

“Whether or not someone will contest depends on their report cards. The report card will show whether or not the person is suitable to contest or not” he said.