Immediately after the 12th General Election in Malaysia, which is exactly a year ago by today, the People’s Front made the announcement that they will form the Federal Government of Malaysia by September 16th, 2008.
Anwar Ibrahim, their leader, boasted to reporters in and outside Malaysia that they have the needed numbers of Parliamentarians ready to jump ship and switch allegiance to his side. Of course, the winner in the then General Election, the National Front Coalition, under Abdullah Badawi, retorted that the man [Anwar Ibrahim] is lying.
While the famously floated date [16th September 2008] passed by without a whimper, Anwar Ibrahim and his cohorts, extended the date to December 30th 2008. So desperate were the Opposition People’s Front to form a federal Government, that when a group of National Front’s Parliamentarians went to Taiwan for trade talks with their counterparts, top leaders of the People’s Front followed them there. Of course they [PR Leaders] were hoping that the National Front’s members of Parliament were foolish enough to take their bait.
This time again, Anwar Ibrahim and his men failed. Yesterday, on 8th March 2009, exactly a year after the General Election and the People’s Front seemed to be drifting farther away from their touted dreams.
Their rule in the state of Perak was chaotic and as three members of their Legislative Assembly switched sides, their government collapsed.
On their websites, the People’s Front leaders described Anwar Ibrahim as the Prime Minister-in waiting. Yes, it will be a long wait indeed.