Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail offered the post of Penang Chief Minister to Chow Kon Yeow.
She offered several other posts to other DAP and PKR candidates as well to ensure that she gets to decide who becomes Prime Minister in the event the PKR-led opposition pact wins the general election
She was opposed to Dato’ Seri Azmin Ali’s list of candidates, as it became known to her that the Selangor Menteri Besar entered a separate pact with Dr Mahathir Mohamad to override any decision she may make that isn’t in their favour
THE THIRD FORCE
On the 16th of April 2018, The Third Force published an article that disclosed an offer made by PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (Jijah) to Padang Kota assemblyman Chow Kon Yeow. According to a reliable and well-placed source from Komtar, the terms of the offer involved Chow being made the Chief Minister of Penang assuming PKR succeeds in wresting control of the island state from the DAP and Putrajaya from Barisan Nasional this coming 14th general election (GE14).
Why would Jijah make such an offer?
Well, there are two scenarios we need to first consider.
SCENARIO 1: Considering that Jijah is the one who will sign the surat watikah perlantikan for all DAP, PKR, Amanah and ex-PPBM candidates, she is kingmaker, meaning, it is she who gets to decide who becomes Prime Minister assuming PKR wins the election.
SCENARIO 2: Jijah is attempting to rally support from DAP, PKR, AMANAH and ex-PPBM candidates to prevent Dato’ Seri Azmin Ali and Dr Mahathir Mohamad from ganging up against her. She believes that the duo has effected a pact within a pact to ensure that Mahathir is made Prime Minister and not her.
Which scenario should we focus on?
The second.
At 2.50 am earlier today, team The Third Force was told of a pact team Azmin entered with the DAP and Mahathir. One of the main players in the pact waa none other than the incumbent for the Batu Parliamentary constituency, Chua Tian Chang (Tian Chua). Jijah had initially dropped Tian Chua as candidate along with seven other persons aligned with Azmin. She was told that the Selangor Menteri Basar agreed with Mahathir to override any decision she may make assuming the PKR-led opposition pact wins the general election.
At 1.50 am, Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) told us why Jijah was forced to accommodate Azmin’s list at the eleventh hour. Going by what RPK revealed and given what The Third Force was told, it seems clear that Mahathir has once again outmaneuvered Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim by getting Azmin to pose an ultimatum. I do believe that the ultimatum was real, meaning, Anwar was put on the horns of a very sticky dilemma.
But I’ll speak of that dilemma in an upcoming article. I’d like to evaluate circumstances first to see how this whole affair plays out…
But why should Jijah worry? Isn’t she the one signing the Surat watikah perlantikan?
Like I said, we can ignore scenario 1 (above), meaning, the surat watikah perlantikan means zilch when it comes to the question of who becomes Prime Minister.
The fact remains, that the power to nominate or name a Prime Ministerial candidate is an internal party/coalition matter as far as Parliament is concerned. Barisan Nasional has traditionally upheld that it is the coalition chairman who gets to decide on the leadership of the country should it win the general election.
PKR, on the other hand, could never muster the kind of majority UMNO has in Barisan. Technically, there is no stopping DAP, Amanah, and ex-PPBM MPs from ganging up to override any decision Jijah may make regarding the country’s leadership.
Is that what she is worried about?
Yes.
She knows that there has never been a precedent where an opposition pact was made to decide who became Prime Minister. Like her, we don’t really know how things will play out assuming the PKR-led pact steals the election. However, she seems dead sure that Mahathir colluded with Azmin to make certain that the former is named Prime Minister even if it is against her will.
To be continued…
