Bad move for PKR to reveal alleged Anwar-Najib ‘reconciliation’ talks

By admin-s Last updated Feb 17, 2015

For all intents and purposes, it is a great big strategic blunder for PKR to reveal that its jailed de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim once willingly entered into “reconciliation” negotiations with BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the months after the GE13, after aspersions had been cast on the veracity of the said news when it surfaced in the wind previously.

Hazlan Zakaria, The Ant Daily

This is because they risk losing or alienating already skittish Pakatan Rakyat allies and other anti-BN supporters at a time that they need friends the most.

As observers have pointed out, after his questionable jailing PKR and Anwar seem to have the moral high ground, as even friendly parties they once shunned and treated less than squarely, like Indian rights movement Hindraf and socialist political party, PSM spoke out in his support when he was jailed.

Indeed, such revelations may trigger an exodus of candles from planned vigils for the jailed opposition leader and less staunch support in other avenues, both political and moral.

Especially so, it is ironic if not hypocritical given that at times voices in the party are among those that were loudly wary of supposed “unity government” talks between Umno and factions in PAS.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Nawar, who is also Anwar’s eldest daughter, revealed the ‘shocking’ matter during the ‘The Freedom of the People’ rally in Seberang Jaya on the night of Feb 15.

“Ignore PAS, ignore DAP, accept the DPM’s post, and let’s form the government…let us be happy together, Najib had told Anwar,” Nurul told the assembled crowd attending the event to mark their solidarity with her jailed father.

It was a mistake to reveal that the negotiations went on with Anwar’s collusion and that PKR had considered the deal despite supposedly ‘going tough’ on Najib during the negotiations.

This, according to a The Malaysian Insider report, Nurul had said her father agreed to negotiate though set conditions that corruption in the federal government and economic issues must be addressed, before the talks eventually broke down.

He may be seen being noble to have asked for corruption to be eradicated and the economy repaired before he can be cajoled to reconcile with BN, but it is still a negotiation that is a major betrayal of Pakatan and its anti-BN allies.

When taken into larger context, Anwar’s sudden declaration of readiness to turn state’s evidence against former minister Tun Daim Zainuddin who is in an apparent psy-war and tiff with Najib seems suspicious as hell too.

One can see it as a bone being thrown Najib’s way by Anwar for negotiation purposes. So did that deal too fell through? Was he asked to shun Pakatan allies too to avoid imprisonment? Speculations of course, but one will be ripe for the picking with Nurul’s revelations out in the open now.