PKR information chief Tian Chua sees Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s exit from Umno as triggering a “deepening crisis” in the party.

bersih protest constitution amendment 071207 tian chua “(However) I don’t think many of the MPs who are clinging to power will follow him (out),” he observed, when asked to comment on the situation.

Chua said Umno deputy president Najib Abdul Razak will not quit the party but “will continue to fight and Mahathir will help him from outside”.

Referring to the meeting between the two last week, Tian claimed that Najib was trying to reconcile (with Mahathir) and talk about transition of power from Prime Minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“It means Najib is following what Mahathir wants (a change of prime minister),” he said.

Chua was among DAP and PKR parliamentarians who were at the Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur this morning to sign a condolence book for the Sichuan province earthquake victims.

DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng led the group.

Chua further claimed that Mahathir’s resignation was a ‘desperate’ act, following the recent inquiry into the Lingam tape scandal.

vk lingam scandal mahathir eusoff chin adnan fairuz vincent lingam The royal commission of inquiry had recommended that the ex-premier and five other prominent personalities should be investigated for alleged breach of various laws.

However, Mahathir has denied that his resignation from Umno is connected with this, saying he is prepared to defend himself in court if legal action is taken against him.

Chua continued to be optimistic that there will be a change of federal government, but conceded that crossovers of Barisan Nasional (BN) parliamentarians to Pakatan Rakyat “are not a simple matter”.

Asked when the anticipated crossover will take place, he would only say: “We’ll see.”

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has frequently claimed that crossovers are imminent, following unprecedented wins by opposition candidates in the general election on March 8. This denied BN a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Name not divulged

In another development, Lim said there is no need to reveal the name of the Umno veteran who has reportedly agreed to join the state government.

dap memo on patrol vessels mindef 120907 lim guan eng Referring to a challenge by Umno Bukit Mertajam division chief Musa Fadzir to publicly announce the name of the person involved, Lim said they should not put pressure on someone who has accepted the post and later resigned (from Umno).

“I have not revealed any name. When he accepted the post to serve in the Penang government, (he received) a pressure from the party and was forced to resign,” he said when asked.

“I think they know who it is. I think we’ll just leave it at that.”

Two weeks ago, he announced that an Umno veteran leader had accepted an offer to serve in Penang government and that he would reveal the name at a suitable time.