Anwar insists it's for real

malaysianinsider - [...] Once the former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and now torch-bearer for the Opposition has the numbers to make up a simple majority in Parliament, Anwar said he will call for a vote of non-confidence in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's government.

The numbers game is a simple one.

Twenty-nine more seats — that is what his grand coalition called Pakatan Rakyat needs to send an embattled Abdullah and his ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) packing.

But his audience did not seem totally convinced. A sense of expectation mixed with scepticism was evident among the foreign journalists, some of whom have followed his sensational roller coaster political career with professional zeal.

Do you really have the numbers, or is it just good psychological warfare, asked veteran journalist Barry Wain, who is now writing a book on former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Anwar smiled somewhat coyly, then replied: "I've said it on April 14. Yes, we have the numbers." Where does this confidence come from? Not wanting to give too much away, he said it came from reading the mood among the BN backbenchers. As though anticipating the follow-up question, the man who believes he is within kissing distance of becoming prime minister gave an example: Only three or four of Abdullah's diehards — and not 30 or 40 parliamentarians — rush to his defence every time Umno's top leadership comes under attack.

Want more evidence? Well, look no further than what the grand old man of Malaysian politics, Dr Mahathir, said recently.

Said Anwar: "Even Mahathir has conceded: Yes, there is a possibility of Anwar taking over. He didn't say it is going to be a turmoil, or a disaster or politically disastrous for the country."

... selanjutnya.