The real reason Anwar backed down from sabotaging Budget 2021
Hence even if Muhyiddin has just 100 MPs with him, those against him would be split into four or five groups. And that means, with just 100 MPs, Muhyiddin would still have the largest minority and would come back as PM9. That is why Anwar decided to abandon the plot to sabotage Budget 2021 since his objective to take over as PM9 is going to fail.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Okay, today we are hearing all sorts of reasons or excuses as to why Pakatan Harapan failed to sabotage Budget 2021 yesterday.
Amongst some of those excuses are:
1. They did not want to defy Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
2. They can always sabotage the budget later if they want.
3. The Finance Minister had amended/improved the budget to include the demands by Umno and Pakatan Harapan.
4. Budget 2021 is not 100% bad, it only needs to be tweaked to improve it further.
5. There was confusion.
6. Anwar Ibrahim changed his mind at the last minute.
7. Pakatan Harapan did not want the civil servants and the police/armed forces personnel to suffer when their salaries would be stopped in January 2021 if the budget did not pass.
8. Umno backed down at the last minute — so Pakatan Harapan was also forced to back down since on its own Pakatan Harapan did not have the numbers.
The reason for sabotaging Budget 2021 was to make Anwar the prime minister
Yes, those are amongst the excuses we are hearing today.
But then the plot to sabotage Budget 2021 has nothing to do with the budget itself — so whether it is bad or good, or has been amended/improved, is not the issue. Even if Budget 2021 is as perfect as God’s Holy Book is of no consequence. The plot to sabotage Budget 2021 is to bring down Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and has nothing to do with how good or bad the budget is.
The planned sabotage of Budget 2021 was supposed to be a backdoor vote of no confidence against Muhyiddin. It was to demonstrate to His Majesty the Agong that 120 or so members of parliament do not support Muhyiddin and that he has around just 100 MPs with him and not 113 as what Perikatan Nasional claims.
In short, this is a show of force. It is to force Muhyiddin to resign so that His Majesty the Agong will be forced to appoint a new prime minister to replace Muhyiddin. Budget 2021 and whether it is a good or bad budget has nothing to do with this plot.
Pakatan Harapan cannot agree who should replace Muhyiddin as PM9
So, forget about Budget 2021. Forget about the details of Budget 2021 and whether it is a good or bad budget. Forget about the conflicting/confusing reasons about why they abandoned the plot to sabotage Budget 2021. Focus on what really matters.
And what really matters is Anwar Ibrahim did NOT have the numbers. He needed Umno and Barisan Nasional to support him. Based on Pakatan Harapan alone he does not have the majority. And since Umno and Barisan Nasional did not support him he had to back down due to the lack of numbers.
Even more important than that, even if he did have the numbers to sabotage 2021, (meaning Umno and Barisan Nasional join the sabotage), is the fact that while he may have enough numbers to sabotage 2021, this does not mean he has enough numbers to take over as Prime Minister.
In other words, 120 MPs might unite and support the plot to sabotage Budget 2021 to bring down Muhyiddin, but these 120 MPs will not necessarily unite and support Anwar to take over as PM9 if Muhyiddin is brought down.
Muhyiddin still has the majority compared to Mahathir, Anwar, Ku Li and all the others who cannot agree on who should be PM9
Once Muhyiddin is brought down, the 120 MPs would be split into the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad camp, the Najib Tun Razak camp, the Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah camp, the Anwar Ibrahim camp, and so on.
Hence even if Muhyiddin has just 100 MPs with him, those against him would be split into four or five groups. And that means, with just 100 MPs, Muhyiddin would still have the largest minority and would come back as PM9. That is why Anwar decided to abandon the plot to sabotage Budget 2021 since his objective to take over as PM9 is going to fail.
